


Starting Fresh

by TrishW



Category: WilSon - Fandom
Genre: Drama, FF, M/M, TrishW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-07
Updated: 2013-10-28
Packaged: 2017-12-22 17:55:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 35
Words: 122,380
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/916280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrishW/pseuds/TrishW
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will Horton has spent the last 4 years of his life in a juvenile detention for the attempted murder of EJ DiMera.  He returns back to Salem looking for a fresh start.  Meanwhile, Sonny Kiriakis comes to Salem, after  spending 2 years traveling Europe, in an attempt to figure out where his life was headed, after informing his parents that he was gay.  He too hopes that he has found a purpose and wants a fresh start.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Facing the past

Sonny came into the pub and looked around, as he closed the door behind him. He spotted his cousin and made his way over to her, a big smile on his face. “There you are. Its good to see you.”

 Abby put down her notebook and got up from the table and walked into her cousin’s open arms and they hugged tightly. “I told you I would be here. I’m so glad that you’re in town.”

 Sonny released the embrace and frowned at his cousin. “You know that planes fly both directions, right?”

 Abby slapped Sonny on the arm and went back to her seat. “Very funny. Its hard to visit someone that doesn’t stay in one spot more than a week. How many countries did you visit, in your worldwind tour?”

 Sonny sat down in the chair across from Abby and shook his head. “No clue, I just went where the urge took me.”

 Abby frowned at her cousin, she knew exactly why he found it so hard to settle down. “So did you finally “find” yourself?”

 Abby was probably Sonny’s closest relative. They only met a few times, but hit it off right away and kept in touch through e-mail and text. He knew that Abby was just concerned for him. He reached over and put his hand on Abby’s. “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m in Salem now and that’s all that’s important. I’m tired of running. I’ve got a new look on things and I think this will be a fresh start.”

 Abby wanted nothing but the best for her cousin. “Fresh start? You sound like things were bad before.”

 Sonny shook his head. Even if nothing outside had changed. He knew that he had. “You know things aren’t like they use to be. That’s why I had to go.”

 Abby didn’t want to let Sonny off the hook. “You know you didn’t have to. No one cares.”

 Sonny didn’t agree. “I cared. I needed to come to terms with things, the way that I wanted to, not the way that others wanted me to.”

 Abby nodded. “You mean your mother. All she does is talk about you. She doesn’t care.”

 Sonny knew his mother cared. She cared too much. Sometimes to make up for what she feels others might think, she tries to compensate. “Her not caring, is the problem. Her trying to make everything normal and making sure that no one dared question, would drive me crazy. I had to be okay with myself and not be forced into it. Do you understand?”

 Abby more than understood. “Mothers do all they can to keep their kids from hurting.”

 Sonny knew that what Abby was saying was true. “I get that, but can we change the subject. How are you and what’s his name?”

 Abby smiled. She had been dating Chad for a while, but her mother was doing her own meddling and trying to keep them apart. “His name is Chad and he’s great.”

 Sonny watched, as his cousin got lost in her thoughts of her boyfriend. “Judging by the smile on your face, I would say so. So when do I get to meet him?”

 Abby sat up in her chair. “I don’t know. Whenever you want. He goes to Salem U.”

 Sonny smiled and nodded his head. “That’s perfect. We can get together on campus sometime.”

 Abby was confused and frowned at her cousin. “Why on campus?”

 Sonny got up from the table to leave. “I’m thinking of taking a couple of classes. I better get going. My mom is going to wonder where I am.”

 Abby got up and went after her cousin. He kept walking and she followed him out the door. “Wait! What are you talking about?”

 Abby had left her things on the table and Will came in from the back looking around the pub to see if there was anyone there that he knew. He was about to go back into kitchen, when his great-grandma Caroline came walking out. “Will? When did you get here?”

 Will smiled and pulled his grandmother into a hug. “I just came in. I had to see my favorite person in the whole world. I missed you so much grandma.”

 Tears started to form in Caroline’s eyes. Things were so dark for her family when Will had been sent away for shooting EJ. She pulled back to look over Will’s face and placed her hand on the side, cradling Will’s face, as she checked to make sure that he was alright. “I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my life. I prayed everyday, that you would come back to us.”

 The one thing that Will had feared, was that he would never be able to see some of his family members again. He blinked back tears and tried to be strong in front of the woman, who had always been strong for him. It had been 4 long years and emotions were rarely a good thing while he was at the Springfield Detention Facility for Juveniles, now it seems that all those tears that he couldn’t shed, where doing all they could to make their way out. “And now they have been answered. Please do not make me embarrass myself in the middle of the pub.”

 Caroline was relieve, as Will smiled to try and hide the fact that he really wanted to cry. Something that he did very often when he would come and talk to her. She still saw that 14 year old that had left 4 years ago. Caroline stood up straight and showed Will her gruff exterior. “Okay fine, enough of the sappy stuff. You look skinny as a rail. What do you say I go get you a bowl of chowder?”

 A real smile spread across Will’s face. If there was something that he missed, it was his great-grandma’s cooking. Many a day, she feed him, when his mother was too busy doing something or another. “That sounds good. I did miss your chowder.”

 Caroline smiled and headed for the kitchen. “Grab a seat and I’ll bring some out.”

 Will smiled as he watched his grandmother leave. He then turned and looked around the pub for a table. “Its good to know that somethings don’t change.”

 He had made it over to the table, where Abby had left her books. Abby came back in the pub, after hunting Sonny down and came up behind him. “Hey there.”

 Will was startled at first, as he turned around to face his cousin, then almost knocked off balance, as she threw her arms around him, kind of taking his breath away, but he still managed to reply. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

 Abby pointed down at the books on the table. “I was studying, but then...”

 Will waited for her to finish as she turned and point at the door, but she didn’t and just turned back around. “Never mind. Its not important. I’m really glad you’re here. My mom told me that you were getting out, but I didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”

 Will was curious about what his cousin was about to say, but when she didn’t finish, he decided to just let it go. He didn’t think that he would be seeing people so soon either. He actually dreaded the idea, but he had to see his great-grandmother, so he took the chance that the reunions would be a minimum, but seeing Abby was a welcomed surprised. “I came to see my great-grandma. She’s getting me some chowder.”

 Abby sat back down at her table and motioned at the seat across from her and smiled broadly. “Then have a seat and lets catch up. I’d like to say that you haven’t changed, but you’ve grown up. You’re not that scrawny kid that I remember from 4 years ago.”

 Will wouldn’t let many people get away with calling him scrawny, but Abby was able to get away with anything, when she smiled at him like she was, he started to protest. “I wasn’t skraw...okay I was, but you’re not one to talk. So what’s going on with you?”

 Abby shook her head and got serious. “I don’t want to talk about me. I want to talk about you. How does it feel to be free again?”

 Will got serious. He hadn’t really thought about it. He looked around the pub again. “I’m not sure. Coming here and everything looking just the way it did when I left, its almost like it was all a dream and I just woke up.”

 Abby wasn’t sure what to make of what her cousin was saying. “Dream? It couldn’t have been easy. It was probably more like a nightmare. I can’t imagine...”

 Will reached over and took Abby’s hand as he noticed that tears were starting to form in her eyes. “I’m fine. No it wasn’t easy, but I’m home and I’m here with you, in this pub, waiting for my grandmother to bring me a bowl of chowder. Its what, I’ve been waiting for and now its here. I did a bad thing and I paid for what I did. I’m lucky..”

 Abby frowned at Will. “Lucky? How do you figure?”

 Will sat up, as the waitress brought his chowder out and put it on the table in front of him. “Yeah. I still have my life in front of me. A lot of people don’t. I still get to go to college and can put it all behind me.”

 Abby was even more confused. “College? How can you do that? You have to finish high school.”

 Will took a spoonful of the chowder and put it in his mouth. He closed his eyes and relished the familiar taste. “Mmm. I really missed this. Yeah college. While I was detained, I put my time to good use and got my GED. So its like I went away to boarding school. I get to start college, just as if I had finished high school here. Its a fresh start”

 Abby was amazed for the second time. She wished that she saw things as clearly as her cousins did. They really seemed like they had their lives headed in the right direction. She reached over and touched Will’s arm. “I’ve missed you.”

 Will continued to concentrate on his chowder. “I missed you too.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny walked into the Kiriakis mansion. His mom had told him about it when he was growing up, but he never thought that he would live there. She had told him about his Uncle Victor and how he conducted his business the “old fashion” way. He was surprised when she told him that his father was moving back to Salem to work for him. It didn’t feel like home. The wood panels and antique furnishing, but he knew that if he didn’t spend a little time with his family before he told them that he wanted his own place, that he would never hear the end of it. Uncle Vic was finishing up a business call and motioned for Sonny to come in.

Sonny walked over to the sofa and took a seat, just as he finished the call. There was always something that was a little sinister about his uncle. He put down the phone and frowned at Sonny. “Are you avoiding me?”

 Sonny was caught off guard. He shook his head. “No. Why would you say that?”

 Victor got up from his chair and walked over to get a drink of water. “You’re home for a few hours and couldn’t wait to get out of here. What am I suppose to think?”

 Sonny got up and walked over to his uncle and took the glass of water that he was offering him. “I’m not avoiding you. I got a call.”

 Victor was even more upset. “A call. Who could be more important than me? You already have someone occupying your time that you don’t have time for family.”

 Sonny laughed. With all the stories that he heard about his uncle, he had been scared to tell him that he was gay, but Victor took it in stride. He was more worried about his safety, than anything else. The idea that he would enjoy his company, never crossed Sonny’s mind. Sonny put his hand on his uncle’s shoulder to reassure him. “There is no one in this town that would ever take me from my family. As a matter of fact it was family. It was Abby. I knew that you had meetings all day, so I figured that I could run over and see her before dinner. If I’d known...”

 Victor stepped away from his nephew. He didn’t like people to see his softer side. “I wasn’t talking about me, I was thinking about you mother.”

 Sonny knew that Victor was covering, but he knew better than to try and break through his rough exterior. Instead he pretended to believe him. “Oh. Where is she?”

 Victor motioned towards the door. “She’s in the kitchen driving Cook crazy. Something about making sure that she got all your favorite things right.”

 Sonny shook his head. He knew how his mother could be, so he left his uncle and headed for the kitchen. “Don’t worry, I’ll get her out of there.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will laid on the bed in his room and threw a ball in the air, as he mother yelled through the door. “Aren’t you hungry?”

 Will didn’t bother to stop tossing the ball and yelled back to his mother. “No. I ate at the pub.”

 He could feel her disappointment, but he really wasn’t up for company and he barely knew his mother’s latest att raction. “Please Will. Rafe is going to think that you don’t like him. He’s bringing his sister, Gabi. She’s starting Salem U too.”

 Will thought for a minute, then sat up and put the ball on the bed. “Okay fine, but I’m not changing or anything.”

 Sami was relieved. “That’s fine. They’ll be here in about 15 minutes.”

 Will got up and walked over and looked at himself in the mirror. Here he was in the room that he left 4 years ago. Nothing was really different, that wasn’t exactly true, his mom had the room painted and got new linens, but all of his posters were still where he left him. His books, piled on the bookshelf and his trophies, lined on the shelf above his bed. The room was the same, but that was all that was the same.

 He wasn’t that 14 year old boy anymore. He now shaved and his voice no longer cracked. It was him in the mirror, but it wasn’t him in the mirror. The strange thing is that part of him still felt like that 14 year old, like it had been frozen it time, then there was the other part that had taken such good care of that part. The one that guarded him from the reality of being kept at the detention center. It really was like a boarding school in some ways. He went to classes and learned, but there was a much darker aspect. That was what 14 year old Will needed to be protected from and now here he stood, in his old room. Will looked at his reflection again. “No more hiding. Time to come out and join the world.”

 Will left the room to go meet Rafe and Gabi.“

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dinner was over and Sonny had suggested that they go to the Cheating Heart. A bar that his mother owned. She use to spend a lot of time there, but the last 6 months or so, she had let the manager run the place. Sonny looked around as they made their way to the table. “This is nice.”

 Adrienne could tell when her son was being sarcastic. “It does okay for itself.”

 Sonny’s father didn’t even try to be tactful. “You’ve been saying that you wanted to get rid of the place.”

 Adrienne hit her husband under the table. “I never said that.”

 Justin shrugged and took a swig of his beer. “If you say so.”

 Sonny gave the place another look around and got an idea. “You know its really not that bad. It just needs a fresh approach.”

 Adrienne frowned at her son. “Fresh approach? You thinking of going into the bar business? I don’t know...”

 Sonny took his mothers hand and held it in his. He began to get excited. “No. No. Listen to me. What would you think about changing it over to something else?”

 Justin began to pay attention. He put down his beer and put his elbows on the table. “Something else, like what?”

 Sonny looked around again. “Like a....coffee house.”

 Adrienne shook her head. “That’s crazy. This is a perfectly fine bar.”

 Justin frowned at his wife. “Adrienne, you have been complaining about this place, for months. It was different when you were running the place, but its just a headache, now that you’re not. You can’t keep a staff...”

 Adrienne put her hand on her husband’s arm to stop him. “I know, but its my place.”

 Sonny smiled. “...and now it will be mine. It will be perfect. This isn’t what I brought you here for, but its even better.”

 Adrienne and Justin, both heard what their son had said. Justin was the first to speak. “What did you bring us here for?”

 Sonny realized that there was no postponing it, so he just laid it out for them. “The good news is that I’m staying in Salem, which you probably figured out from me wanting to take over the Cheating Heart...”

 Adrienne was becoming impatient. “...and the bad news is...”

 Sonny delayed a bit. “Its not that bad.”

 Justin joined his wife and tried to hurry his son along. “Stop stalling. What are you talking about?”

 Sonny bit his lip and then dived in. “I’m moving out.”

 Adrienne and Justin looked at each other. Justin sat back in his chair. “Is that all?”

 Adrienne wasn’t as keen on the idea as Justin. She looked sadly at her son. “But you just got here. You’re starting school in a few months and now you taking on this place. Why don’t you stay home and move out after everything is settled.”

 Sonny patted his mother’s hands. “I’ll be fine. I never planned on staying at the mansion. Its not like its my home. Besides, I’ve gotten use to living on my own.”

 Justin began to rub Adrienne’s back. “We understand.”

 Sonny watched his mom. She didn’t say a word, but he knew that she didn’t share his father’s sentiments. He tried to reassure her. “I know that I’ve been gone for a long time and that you want us to be together as a family, but I need my own space. I’m not rejecting you, I just want to get settled in and that’s a good thing. That means I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

 Adrienne smiled, as tears started to fill her eyes. “That’s good to know, because I don’t know what I would do if you left again.”

 Justin got up from the table. “What do you say we get going.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will had decided to go for a walk and Gabi went with him. He didn’t really want her to, but she seemed nice and didn’t really know a lot of people other than her brother. He figured that it would be okay to be friends. He wasn’t sure if any of his old ones were still around, so he felt he shouldn’t reject anyone. Gabi decided to break the silence. “Its a nice night.”

 Will looked over at Gabi, as he made his way over to a bench and sat down. “Yeah it is. Thanks for going for a walk with me.”

 Gabi sat down next to Will on the bench. “No problem. I was stuffed. I couldn’t believe I ate so much. Your mother’s a good cook.”

 Will chuckled. “She didn’t use to be. I had many a burned dinner. Glad to see my brother and sisters are making out better than I did.”

 Gabi watched Will. He was looking up at the sky. “Its got to be really weird, being back home.”

 Will didn’t really want to talk about being back. He got up from the bench and walked away from Gabi. Gabi felt bad. She got up and followed him. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

 Will stopped at a tree and notice a plaque at its base. He ran his hand over the lettering. It was a picture of Alice and Tom Horton. “Its okay. The worse part, is the people that I lost. “

Gabi walked over and looked down at the plaque. “I’ve heard lots of stories about your great-grandparents. They were wonderful people.”

Will nodded as he wiped his nose. “Yeah they were. Its so great that they are being remembered like this.”

Gabi nodded. ‘Yeah it is. Maybe we should go back.”

Will nodded and watched as Gabi started walking back towards the house. He then looked back at the images of his great-grandparents. “I bet I probably disappointed you, doing what I did, but I promise that I will make you proud.”

Will put his hand to his lips and kissed his fingers, then pressed them on his great-grandmother’s and then he’s great-grandfather’s image, then turned to catch up with Gabi.


	2. More Than Meets The Eye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny meet for the first time, but everyone isn't happy about it.

Sonny was a man on a mission. He converted his mother’s rundown bar, into a modern coffee house. He had been officially open a week and was getting things ready for the morning rush. He couldn’t believe that things were going so well for him since he came to Salem. When he had left for Europe, his head was spinning, as he thought about the life that he had planned. A life that he had thought seemed impossible, after he told his parents that he was gay.

His need to get away had nothing to do with his parents, although his mother probably felt that it did. It was the way that he saw people treated around him, in a place that at the time he called home. In spite of the peace and beauty that Dubai held, it also held darkness for anything that was consider unholy and he was one of those things.

Strange as it may seem, it was the peace of Dubai that allowed Sonny to find peace in himself.  It allowed him to calm the anger that rose inside of him, when he thought about the inequalities that still existed. Mostly, it made him realize that running wasn’t the answer, because what he had been running from, was always there. Now here he was in his own business. In control of his own life and determined to not let anyone suffer from the pain that he did and within these walls, there would be a refuge, for anyone that needed it. Sonny walked over and turned the sign in the window to open and opened the door for a customer that looked sorely in need of a cup of coffee. “Come on in. The first cup of the day is free, so what can I get for you?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had settled into being back home. He had gotten to know Rafe, his mother’s boyfriend and was surprised that he didn’t hate him. He missed his father and felt guilty that he was to blame for him feeling the need to leave the country. He had snyped with him a few times and his father had hinted that maybe he would come home for a while, but with his mother still very much wrapped up with EJ DiMera, having a child with him, he knew that was why his father hesitated. He would never get over his mother.  However, Will wished that he would come home for him and his sister.

Will had always been wrapped up in his parents relationship. He had always dreamed of having a family like everyone else, but he learned the hard way that you need to be careful of what you wish for. His dream of a family is why he pulled that trigger and tried to kill a man. Part of him still felt that his mother and father could make it, but now he knew that if it was to happen, it would have to be their doing, too much had happened. All he wanted for them was to be happy.

Will was walking with his friend T. He had known T before he went away. When Will came back, T was in New Jersey, visiting relatives. He had heard that he had returned, but Will didn’t know if T would want to see him or if seeing T would be a good idea. When Will ran into T at registration, he thought maybe it might be best to forget the past and just think about his future, but T was persistent. He didn’t care that Will had been in juvie jail, he actually thought it was kind of cool, so Will gave in. T’s enthusiasm made it difficult for Will to ever feel bad about anything. “That was an awesome game. You haven’t lost your touch.”

Will didn’t think that he was nearly as good as T made it seem. “We did have a court, so I was able to keep in practice. I don’t think I was that good, but you were...great.”

T didn’t agree, but he didn’t let his friend’s complement go unnoticed. “Well, my talents are unrivaled, between the two of us, we made over half the points. We didn’t need the other guy.”

Will shook his head. There was no end to T’s ego. They had only won by 5 points. He noticed a new place off the square. “What’s that place?”

T looked in the direction that his friend was pointing. “Its a new coffee house. Its pretty good. Its classier than the old place.”

Will couldn’t let an opportunity to pick on his friend go by and whacked him on the arm, as he made his way towards the door. “How would you know? You wouldn’t know classy if it smacked you in the face. Let’s check it out.”

T rubbed his arm, as he followed his friend into the coffee house. “You’re going to pay for that one.”

Sonny was cleaning the counter, after a guy with his kid, had left most of his smoothie behind. He was happy the morning rush was over, but still was happy to hear the bell on the door ring, because nothing was worse than an empty place. Will and T walked over and eyed the various coffees, as Sonny watched them. “Can I help you?”

T was kind of a black and white kind of guy, so he only glanced at the board. “I’ll just have coffee. Black. I don’t need anything fancy in it.”

Sonny smile and went to pour T’s coffee, figuring his friend would want the same. “Should I make that 2?”

Will continued to look at the board. “I’ve never seen so many different types of coffee.”

Sonny came back and put T’s coffee on the counter and watched Will. He couldn’t help but smile. He looked like a kid in a candy store, not knowing which candy to get. “I tell you what, why don’t I make, you something special.”

Will slowly moved his gaze from the menu, to the face of the man behind the counter. The man was smiling at him. It was a friendly smile. Probably the same smile he gave to all of his customers, as they came in to his shop, but it still put Will at ease. It didn’t help with his choice though. “How do I know I’ll like it?”

Sonny turned to make Will’s coffee. “I’m pretty good at judging people. I think I know something that you’ll like. Why don’t you two have a seat. I’ll bring it over.”

Will wasn’t sure. He had learned to not be picky about food while he was in juvie, but how did this guy that didn’t know him have any idea what he would like in his coffee? It must have been the reassuring way that he said it though, because Will turned around and he and T went and sat at a table. “Okay.”

Sonny had just finished making Will’s coffee, when his mother came walking through the door. “Hey mom. I’ll be right back. I need to take this over to my customer.”

Adrienne turned around and watched as her son took the coffee over.

Sonny put the coffee cup in front of Will. “Let me know what you think.”

Will picked up the cup and began to blow it to cool it off and then he took a sip. Almost immediately, a smile swept across his face and he looked up at Sonny. “Oh my gosh. This is really good.”

Sonny smiled at Will. “I told you that you’d like it.”

Will took another sip. “I do. I’m going to order this all the time. Thanks.”

Sonny turned and went back to his mother. “Another satisfied customer.”

T frowned at Will. “Come on, its not really that good.”

Will continued to sip his coffee. “I’d let you taste it, but you don’t like fancy stuff in your coffee. This is really good though.”

Sonny saw his mother watching him as he walked back to the counter. He had seen that face many times. “What is it?”

Adrienne turned to face her son and leaned over towards him and whispered. “Do you know who that is?”

Sonny glanced over at the 2 men in the booth. “Yeah, they are called customers. What’s wrong with you? Are they famous or something?”

Adrienne took in a deep breath and let it out. She couldn’t believe that even though her son was smart, he wasn’t very knowledgeable. She leaned over again. “The one with the blond hair, is Will Horton.”

Sonny glanced in Will’s direction and Adrienne motioned for him to stop. “He’s a Horton, that’s a good thing right? The Horton’s practically built this town.”

Adrienne was getting frustrated. “For the most part that’s true, but this Horton’s mom just happens to be a Brady. Sami Brady.”

Sonny finally realized what his mother was getting at. “He’s the one that shot EJ.”

Adrienne was glad her son finally was getting it. “Now you see why I’m acting like this.”

Sonny was unphased by his mother’s antics and began to clean the counter. “No I don’t. He went to jail for what he did and I think most of the city would have rather given him a medal. He shot a DiMiera. One that didn’t think much of killing one or two Brady’s and raped his mother if I remember correctly.”

Adrienne had no sympathy. “That’s what she said.”

Sonny was not liking the way his mother was acting. “Mother! What did you stop by for?”

Before Adrienne could answer, Will came up and put his and T’s cup on the counter. “Hello Mrs Kiriakis.”

Adrienne gave Will a half smile. “Hi Will. How are you?”

Will was always polite to everyone, but he knew that Mrs Kiriakis hated his mother, but that was no reason to be rude. He answered her and then turned his attention back to the man behind the counter. “I’m fine. Thanks so much. That was really good. What was it, so that I can get it again.”

Sonny picked up the cups. “Don’t worry. I’ll remember what it was. Just tell me you want your usual. Would you like a refill?”

Will took out his wallet. “That’s okay. What do I owe you?”

Sonny smiled. “You? Nothing. The guy that likes his coffee without fancy stuff, $4.25.”

Will smiled and gave Sonny a 5 dollar bill. “T is a no frills kind of guy. Keep the change.”

Sonny took the money and put it in the register. “Thanks Will. I’m Sonny by the way. Thanks for stopping by.”

Will waved at Sonny as he left. “Thanks again.”

Adrienne watched Will as he left, then turned back to her son. “What was that all about?”

Sonny put the cups away and then took out a basket, to refill the stations. “Its called being nice to a customer. I’m sure there were plenty of people that came into the Cheating Heart, that had a record. When did you turn into a snob?”

Adrienne didn’t like her son’s tone. She stepped up next to him. “I’m not a snob. Sami, Lucas and now Will have done some terrible things. If you know what’s good for you, you will stay away from him and his family.”

Sonny laughed as he finished what he was doing and turned to his mother. “You do realize that his family is also our family. He’s Abby and JJ’s cousin. We’re practically family.”

Adrienne felt insulted “We’re not related. You’re both cousin of JJ and Abby, but there’s no blood relation. He’s related to Jennifer, just barely. His father is Jennifer’s father’s bas....

Sonny walked off. “Are you really going there? You do remember my brother Alex. He’s as much my bother, as Victor and Joe, who by the way, share no blood with me. Are you going to tell me that you don’t consider them your sons?”

Adrienne became flustered. “I’m sorry, but its different. I’ve been their mother from when they were babies. Lucas showed up on Bill’s door step.”

Sonny had more than enough. “This conversation is going nowhere. I’m not even sure why it started. Will Horton is a customer, like the other customers that walk through that door. Why you care, I have no clue, but you have no right to tell me how to run my business, or my life for that matter. That’s why I didn’t want to live at the mansion. I want to live my life, not yours.”

Tears started to form in Adrienne’s eyes. “I get it. I can’t help if I care.”

Sonny reached over and touched his mother’s hand. “I want you to care, but you need to know that I was gone for 2 years and there are a lot of things that I did, that you wouldn’t approve of, now that you see some of them, doesn’t mean that you get to dictate what I do. I’m not 18 anymore. I made plenty of mistakes over in Europe and I’m fine. I’ll make plenty now that I’m here and I will still be fine. You need to trust me.”

Adrienne let out a deep breath and nodded. “I do.”

Sonny smiled and turned back to his machines. “Good, I’m glad we got that settled. You want the usual?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will came into his bedroom and fell on the bed. He placed his arms behind his head and stared up at the ceiling. He couldn’t get Adrienne Kiriakis out of his mind. Her words were kind enough, but her eyes told a different story. “I’ve obviously been fooling myself the last few weeks, thinking that everyone would be okay with what I did. Obviously Adrienne wasn’t past it.”

The last few weeks, Will had been in a bubble, mostly talking to his family and the people at the school, who had no clue what he had done. Sometimes he had trouble wrapping his head around it himself, but his mother told him that EJ had gotten past it. Will was relieved when she told him, but how does one get over a person that hates them enough to shoot them? Will let out a sigh and sat up. “I should have known that it would happen eventually. Adrienne never got along with my mother, so why would she ever give me a break.”

Will got up and walked over to his dresser and picked up a book from one of his classes. He looked at the cover and ran his hand over it. He didn’t really care what Adrienne thought, but what about the guy at the coffee shop, did he notice how cold she was to him? What was his name? “Sonny. That was it. Seems more like a nickname, but it fit him. He had a warm smile and the drink that he made, tasted like a summer day.”

Will shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to concentrate on school. Getting things back on track. “That doesn’t mean that I can’t stop and get a coffee from time to time though.”

Will walked back to his bed. He had come to accept that he was gay, while he was in juvie. It was a slow process, but since there was nothing that he could do about it, he just accepted it. The problem was that he never told anyone about his feelings. It never seemed important, there were other things to deal with and now he found himself noticing guys, even more. “He’s probably not even gay. He’s just opened a coffee shop and he wants his customers to be happy, that’s probably all it is.”

Sami called through the door “Will? Are you home?”

Will got up and went to the door to opened it. “Yeah, whats up.”

Sami smiled nervously at her son. She was so glad that he was home, but losing so much time and knowing her stupidity was behind what he did, she felt the need to make up for the time that he lost, but he wasn’t 14, he was going to college in a few weeks, that didn’t keep her from trying.. “Johnny and Allie wanted to go to see Despicable Me 2 and I was wondering if you would want to take them?

Will wasn’t sure about the movie, but he did love being with his borther and sister, who looked up to him like he was the best person in the world. They would give his bruised ego, a needed boost. “I didn’t see the first one...”

Sami immediately got worried. “I didn’t think...”

Will put his hand on his mother’s arm, to calm her. “Its okay. I doubt if it matters. I’d love to take them.”

Sami was relieved. She smiled at her son. “They do adore you.”

Will went back into his room to grab his jacket. “I love them too.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny came into his apartment and dropped his keys on the desk. He went to the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water before sitting down at the table and starting to go through the mail. He shuffled through the envelopes, before dropping them on the table. He let out a sigh. “Nothing.”

The coffee shop had been busy for most of the day and when he left, all he wanted to do was shower and go to bed, but now that he was home, he found himself wide awake. He threw his bottle in the recycle bin. “What’s wrong with me? I could go to the club again.”

When Sonny was working on the renovations, he was so tired that he barely made it home most nights. In contrast, the last week he found himself with more time on his hands. One of the contractors had mentioned a club and Sonny decided to check it out. It wasn’t bad, but it reminded him of his time in Europe. Guys looking to hook up for a night, but nothing serious. There was nothing wrong with that, but he wanted more. He wanted something serious. Something like. “Will”

Sonny was shocked that the name came out of his mouth. “What are you talking about Kiriakis? One you don’t even know he’s gay and two, even if you don’t want to admit it, your mother is right. Not that Will is trouble, but you probably want to stay away from a guy that just got out of jail, even if it was probably a glorified babysitting service. He shot a guy, that probably deserved it, but that’s beside the point”

Sonny still couldn’t get the childlike look that Will had on his face out of his mind. “He didn’t look like a hardened criminal.”

Sonny went and got his jacket. “I obviously need some kind of distraction.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will knew that he shouldn’t have, but he let his brother and sister talk him into taking them for ice cream after the movie. “Okay, remember that this is our secret and you guys have to go straight to bed when we get home. No complaining.”

Johnny and Allie licked their ice cream cones. Johnny was his father’s son and always was trying to get things his way. “Promise. I like keeping secrets from mommy.”

Will immediately started feeling guilty. “Its not really lying. We just aren’t going to tell her about it.”

Sonny walked up behind Will. “Its a lie of omission.”

Will was taken off guard. He looked over his shoulder to find Sonny smiling slyly at him.. “Well technically yes, but I don’t want them to get in trouble.”

Sonny bent down to talk to Will’s siblings. “Whose idea was it to get ice cream at 9 at night?”

Allie was quick to expose her brother. “Johnny’s. Mom never lets us have it at night.”

Sonny held in the smile that was doing all it could to make its way out. He remained stern and turned his attention to Johnny. “Hmmm, seems like someone figured that Will might not know, since he’s been away.”

Johnny wasn’t going to be bullied. “Hey, he’s the adult.”

Sonny knew that he was dealing with a pro. “I see and adults don’t get in trouble, kids do. Mommy won’t get mad at him, because he’s been away, but what do you think that will do to the trust between you and him?”

Johnny looked up at Will and started to feel sad. “I’m sorry Will. I didn’t mean to trick you.”

Will smiled at Sonny, as Sonny stood up and he kneeled down in front of his siblings. He took the mutilated cones from them and tossed them in a nearby trashcan, then handed them both napkins and let them clean their hands.. “Its not your fault. I was trying to make up for the time I was away. I missed you guys.”

Sonny watched as Will pulled his brother and sister into a hug. Johnny patted him on the back to reassure him. “We missed you too.”

Will got up and took their hands. “We better get home and don’t worry about the ice cream. I will tell mom and take the blame. No lies. “

Sonny smiled. “That sounds like a good idea.”

Will felt bad that Sonny had caught him, but he was also grateful. “Thanks, for your help. You were right. I guess we better go..”

Will gave Sonny a half smile and then Sonny watched as he walked off with his brother and sister. “There is more to you than meets the eye Will Horton.”


	3. A Shocking Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny find out something about each other, that they didn't want to know and end up lying to their closest confidants and themselves as well.

Classes had finally start at Salem U and Will and Gabi shared their first class. They were sitting in HTS when Abby walked up to them, with Chad following close behind. “Hey guys, how is your first day going?”

 Will turned to his cousin. “Its going pretty well. I’ve got one more class, then I’m done for the day. How about you?”

 Abby wasn’t as enthusiastic as Will. “I’m on my way to my first, but its a double period. Its so much harder being a junior. Gone are the days of trying to find yourself. They actually want you to know what you want to be when you grow up.”

 Gabi got a little worried. “I’m glad I’m just a freshman, because I have no clue.”

 Abby was actually just joking and didn’t want to scare anyone. “I’ve always wanted to be a journalist. I guess its in my blood.”

 Will realized that he hadn’t introduced anyone. “Gabi, this is my cousin Abby, her mother and father were big reporters for the Salem Spectator and Abby this is Gabi. She’s new in town.”

 Abby smiled at Gabi and Will. She was glad that he seemed to be adjusting well to being out in the world again. “Hey Gabi. How do you know each other?”

 Will knew how his cousin could be, so he made sure that he set things straight right away. “We’re just friends. Gabi, is Rafe’s sister.”

 Chad spoke up for the first time. “Rafe Hernandez?”

 Gabi smiled up at Chad. “Yeah. Do you know him?”

 Chad wasn’t one for chit chat, so he answered Gabi with as little words as he could. “Yeah.”

 Abby felt a little uncomfortable, so she tried to ease the tension, by introducing Chad. “Where’s my manners, you introduced Gabi, but I didn’t introduce Chad. He’s my boyfriend.”

 Will eyed Chad and then smiled at Abby. He wasn’t the talkative type, which probably was good for Abby, because she’d been known to carry on a full conversation on her own. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a boyfriend?”

 Chad wasn’t someone that Abby talked about alot, because it usually lead to arguments with her mother. “I’m sure that I told you. Besides, we’ve had other things going on, that were more important.”

 Even with not seeing her for 4 years, Will could tell that Abby was being weird about something. If she wasn’t going to tell him about her boyfriend, he figured that he would go to the source. “So Chad, do you have family around here or are you from out of state?”

 Chad bit his lip and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but where he was standing at the moment. “Yeah, I have family.”

 Will was waiting for him to give more information, but he didn’t. “Not wanting to pry, but what’s your last name?”

 Chad hesitated again, before finally mumbling out. “DiMiera”

 Will felt the blood drain from his face. “DiMiera? As in Stefano and EJ DiMiera?”

 Abby quickly interrupted. “Yes, but he’s not really. He just found out a little while ago. “

 Will pulled his eyes from Chad and turned them to Abby. “Is that why you didn’t tell me?”

 Chad didn’t want any part of the conversation. “If that’s the way you are going to be, I can leave.”

 Abby caught Chad’s arm. “Don’t go. Its not about you.”

 Chad looked at Abby. “How can you be so sure?”

 Will spoke up. “Because its about me. I’m Will Horton.”

 Chad looked at Will confused. He had no clue why a Horton would be a problem, from everything that he knew, Hortons were perfect. “Is that suppose to mean something to me?”

 Abby put her hand on Chad’s chest to calm him. “No its not. I’ll tell you about later. “

 Sonny was walking back to the coffee shop, after finishing his class for the day. He came upon the foursome and was about to walk over, when he saw that they were paired off. He had a feeling that Will wasn’t gay, but he had hoped. Now he saw that he was not only wrong, but that Will also had a girlfriend. He turned to leave, when Abby called him over. “Great, if I hadn’t already made a fool of myself.”

 Abby threw her arm around Sonny’s shoulder when he came over. “Hey there Sonny. Didn’t you see us over here? We were just talking about our classes. How are yours going?”

 Sonny tried not to look at Will. He figured this would be a good time to use the coffee shop as an excuse to not stay. “It was fine, but I was just on my way back to the coffee house.”

 Abby stopped Sonny from leaving. “I’m sure you have a little bit of time, after all you are the boss. I wanted you to meet my boyfriend. Sonny this is Chad. Chad, this is my other cousin Sonny.”

 Chad shook Sonny’s hand. “Another Horton?”

 Abby smiled at Sonny. “No he’s from the other side of the family. He’s a Kiriakis.”

 Will didn’t think that his day could get any worse. First he meets the brother of the man that he shot and now he finds out that the nice guy from the coffee shop wasn’t just getting Adrienne coffee, he was talking to his mother. He just knew that she must have given him all the gory details of his life. All he could hope for now was that the ground would open up and swallow him whole. He was sure that Gabi wouldn’t mind.

 He watched as Sonny, Abby and Chad talked and hoped that maybe Abby would forget that he was there, she would have to run off to class and Sonny would just leave and go to the coffee house, like he tried to tell Abby he needed to do, when he first came over.

 Sonny was going through his own torment. He just wanted to get back to the safety of his coffee house, but it would be rude to not be friendly to Abby’s boyfriend, when he had told her that he wanted to meet him. The only thing that Will and Sonny could be grateful for, was that Abby seemed oblivious to them and their plight. “Sonny hasn’t been back in town very long, but he’s took over the Cheating Heart from his mom and turned into a coffee house. We should stop in sometime. Its really great.”

 Sonny thought Abby mentioning the coffee house would be a good chance to remind her that he needed to leave. “Thanks, but I really should get back to it.”

 Abby smiled at Sonny and then got an idea. “We can go now. I still have a half hour. Its really great. Have you been there Will?”

 Will stood up from the bench. “Yeah, T and I stopped in. It is good.”

 Gabi stood up and tapped him on the arm. “I’d love to come, but I’ve got to go pick up a book before my next class.”

 Will turned and looked at Gabi. He could tell that Sonny wasn’t as friendly as he was the day that he was there before and figured that he could use Gabi as an out. “Darn, you’re right, I need to stop by the bookstore too. I’ll go with you.”

 Abby was disappointed. “Awww. Okay. We’ll have to get together another time.”

 Gabi was excited. She didn’t know many people and was up for anything. “That sounds good to me. Just let Will know and he’ll tell me.”

 Sonny had more than enough. “All right then, I better get going.”

 Abby watched as Sonny turned and walked off. “Something was off about him.”

 Will shrugged. He knew exactly why Sonny couldn’t wait to get away. “He’s a busy guy. We better get going.”

 Abby waved at Will as he walked off with Gabi. “He seems weird too. Now that I think about it, he and Sonny barely said two words to each other.”

 Chad wasn’t sure what Abby was getting at. “What’s so strange about that?”

 Abby turned and slipped her arm through Chad’s, as they walked to her class. “Nothing I guess. It’s just that I’m so close to them both, I guess it seems like they should be closer.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny was right about the shop. With school starting, the coffee house was even busier than usual. He was just bringing more supplies from the storeroom, when his father came in. “Hey Dad.”

Justin walked over to the counter, as Sonny put the boxes he was carrying down. “Hey. Its really busy today.”

Sonny smiled at his dad. “Yeah it is and its great.”

Justin nodded. “I can see that. You’ve got a lot on your plate so it seems.”

Sonny took cups out the boxes and started to set them out. He frowned at his dad. “What do you mean? This is what I dreamed of when I opened this place.”

Justin watched his son. He may have been away from home the last few years, but there were still things he did like he was when he was home. “Okay, so what aren’t you telling me?”

Sonny stopped what he was doing and frowned at his dad. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Justin took a seat at the counter. “I get that you wanted this place to be a success, but given how busy you are, and knowing that you are taking classes at the university, I’m not buying that this is all you have planned.”

Sonny bit his lip. His father had always been able to read his every mood. “Dad, I know that it seems like things are hectic, but I’m loving every minute.”

Justin leaned on the counter. “I get that, but what about down time. What about some fun.”

Sonny wasn’t sure what to make of what his dad was saying. “This is fun.”

Justin chuckled and looked around. “I can’t imagine, that is the kind of fun you were thinking of when you told your mother and me that you wanted your own place.”

Sonny got the full gist of what his father meant. He picked up some creams and walked over to put them out. “I have fun.”

Justin got up and walked behind his son. “Sonny, come on. I know you. You’re here all day and going to classes and you’re doing it alone. That’s not like you.”

Sonny turned to face his father. “There’s a big difference between being alone and being lonely, Dad. I’m fine. The business just opened. There’s plenty of time for me to meet someone.”

 Justin followed his son back over to the counter and watched him very carefully. “...and that’s all?”

 Sonny looked earnestly at his dad. “Yes. Right now my plate is full and I have all I need. When the time is right, I’ll find someone.”

 Justin was relieved. “Okay. Can I have my usual to go.”

 Sonny turned to make his dad’s drink. “Sure.”

 Justin took the cup, when Sonny turned back around and handed it to him. “Thanks. I know you’re busy, but don’t forget about your folks. Stop by sometime.”

 Sonny smiled and waved at his dad as he left. “Don’t worry. I will.”

 He let out a deep breath and turned around after his dad left, to lean on the counter. “Right now, I have no time for anyone. This place is just what I need.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will smiled as his grandmother Marlena opened the door. She had been out of town when he came home, to help her husband John with therapy. He was so happy, when he found out that she was back. Marlena pulled Will into a tight hug. “There’s my boy. I’ve missed you so much.”

 Will welcomed the hug. Marlena, had always be the sane part of his childhood, in spite of what his mother thought. His mom, dad and grandma Kate, had disappointed him at one time or another, but Marlena, was always open and honest with him. “I’m glad you’re home.”

 Marlena motioned for Will to come in and sit on the sofa. “It looks like you’re doing well. I heard that you started college. I’m so proud of you for not giving up and getting your GED, so that you could pick up, like nothing has happened.

 Will was glad that Marlena was proud of him, but he couldn’t agree that nothing had happened. “I wouldn’t say nothing has happened. I missed alot.”

 Marlena felt for her grandson. “I understand. It would be nice if things could stand still I feel the same way. John and I have been gone even longer than you and I missed so much, but you can still have a life. Have you been able to make friends?”

 Will thought back to Sonny as he smiled at him, in the coffee shop before his mother told him about his past. He had thought that they could be good friends, but Will knew that wouldn’t happen now. “I’ve gotten in touch with some old ones. You remember T?”

 Marlena did remember the overly anxious kid and nodded. “Yes, yes I do. Anyone else?”

 Will loved his grandmother, but he wished that she would put the psychiatrist in her to the side when she talked to him. He nodded. “Yeah. Gabi and I have become friends. She’s Rafe’s sister.”

 Marlena smiled, reassured. “That’s good. Are you too close?”

 Will frowned at the question. Gabi was nice, but she always seemed so eager, that it seemed hard to really be close to her. “I don’t know I guess.”

 Marlena could tell that her grandson was feeling uncomfortable. She patted him on the leg as she got up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you . I just want you to have someone special in your life. Would you like some water?”

 Will got up and followed Marlena over to the kitchen. “Yes please. You don’t have to apologize. I’m not looking for anyone. I’m still getting use to things. I know I was able to get my GED, but I’m not expecting college to be easy. Its going to be so different.”

 Will took the glass that Marlena handed him as Marlena poured herself one.. “I get it, but I don’t want you to shut yourself off. You should have fun.”

 Will turned and walked back to the sofa. Fun. He wasn’t even sure what that was anymore. “I’m free to do what I want. That’s fun in and of itself. I would think that you would want me to take my time to adjust.”

 Marlena walked back over and sat next to Will. “So you have been listening to me?”

 Will smiled and nodded. “I’ve tried.”

 Marlena put her arm around Will and pulled him in close. “What I want is for you to be happy. Do you think you can do that?”

Will welcomed the hug and answered the only way that he could think of. “I can try.”


	4. A Step In The Wrong Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Abby tries to help her cousins over a rough patch. She actually helps them make some headway, but misunderstanding caus things to go in the wrong direction.

Abby had asked Will to meet her at the coffee shop. She had been thinking about the last time she saw Will and Sonny together and figured that she would see if it had been her imagination or if something was wrong between the two of them, although she had no clue what? Abby had already gotten her coffee and Sonny had stepped away for a second, when Will came in. “Hi Abby? Why did you want to meet here?”

Abby didn’t look up at Will, as she stirred her sugar into her coffee. “I like this place and besides, my cousin owns it and I feel like I should give him my business. You said that you liked it.”

Will glanced around for Sonny and didn’t see him. He walked over to get a coffee, but stopped when he realized that he didn’t know what to order. He then heard a voice from behind him. “Can I help you?”

Will turned around and saw Sonny smiling at him. He watched him, as he walked around the counter. Will returned the smile and answered. “My usual”

Sonny turned and began to make Will’s drink. “Have a seat and I’ll bring it over to you.”

Will stared at Sonny stunned for a moment, that he was being so friendly, then slowly turned and rushed over and sat with Abby. “What did you say to him?”

Abby took a sip of her coffee. “Say to who?”

Will glanced over at Sonny, who had gotten caught up with one of his baristas. “Son...Oh, never mind.”

Abby put down her cup and leaned towards Will. She spoke in an excited whisper. “I knew it. What happened between you two?”

Will shook his head and was just about to answer, when Sonny came over with his coffee. “Here you go. Sorry it took so long.”

Will smiled up at Sonny and pulled the cup closer to him. “That’s fine. Thanks.”

Sonny looked over at Abby. “Can I get you anything else?”

Abby looked at Will, who had a pleading look on his face and then looked back up at Sonny. “No. I’m good for now.”

Sonny nodded and went back to work. Abby watched him and then put her hand on Will’s arm and leaned closer to him. “I know you too well Will Horton. There is something going on between you and Sonny. Now tell me.”

Will took a sip of his coffee. It was just as good as the first time he had it. “Mmm. I don’t know really. If you didn’t say anything, maybe it was just my imagination.”

Abby was confused. “What was your imagination?”

Will put down his cup. “When I was here before, Adrienne was here and I didn’t know who Sonny was. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of him....anyway, he was nice, but the other day, he seemed different, so when you said that his last name was Kiriakis, I figured that Adrienne must have said something to him.”

Abby glanced at Sonny and then turned her attention back to Will. “Like what? He knew you were in jail.”

Will shrugged. “I don’t know. You know that Adrienne and my mom never got along.”

Abby was well aware of the fact that what Will was saying was true. She remembered when they both showed up at the house one Christmas and it felt like the furnace had gone out, as there was a definite chill in the air. “I see what you’re saying, but Sonny would never take someone’s opinion about a person. Its not how he is. He likes to make up his mind himself. Maybe he was telling the truth and he just had to get back to the shop.”

Will looked over at Sonny and watched as he talked to a customer. That same smile was there, that he had when he came in before. Will bit his lip and thought, as he turned back to his cousin. “I guess you’re right.”

Abby patted Will’s hand. “I know I am.”

Sonny came over after taking care of his customer. “Do you guys need anything? I noticed that you kept looking over at me?”

Abby grabbed her purse and got up. “Nothing for me. I need to go, but I think that Will could use a little of your time.”

Will couldn’t believe that Abby was putting him on the spot. “Abby, its no big deal.”

Abby didn’t agree. “You two are my favorite cousins and I want you to get along. So talk this out. I’ll see you later.”

Sonny watched as Abby left, then turned to look at Will, who was trying to figure a way out of the situation that his cousin had left him in. “Okay, what was she talking about?”

Will took another sip of his coffee. “No clue.”

Sonny sat down at the table across from Will. “I can call her and I’m sure she’ll tell me.”

Will knew that Sonny was right. He put down his cup and began to study the various details of it, which weren’t very many really. “Okay. I was worried about what your mom might have told you about me.”

Sonny was amused. “Why would you care?”

Will took another sip of his coffee and still refused to look up at Sonny. “I know she doesn’t like my mother or my father and I’m sure she had her opinion about me being a juvenile delinquent.”

Sonny remembered quite vividly his conversation with his mother. “That wasn’t exactly her words, but yes she did have an opinion.”

Will leaned back and finally looked at Sonny. Now everything was clear. “So that’s why you didn’t want to hang around the other day?”

Sonny was now the one that was uneasy. He hoped that he had covered his feelings, but obviously he hadn’t. “No it wasn’t.”

Will was shocked “It wasn’t?”

Sonny shook his head. “I would never form an opinion about anyone, based upon what my mother or anyone else says. I can think for myself.”

Will frowned. “Really?”

Sonny confirmed what he had said. “Yes really.”

Will smiled into his cup. “That’s nice to hear.”

Sonny liked to see Will smile. It lit up his whole face and it was genuine. “Why? Because you're worried that I’ll stop serving you coffee?”

Will put down the cup and nodded his agreement. “It is good coffee.”

Sonny laughed out loud. Will felt a warm spot in his chest as he watched Sonny let go. He wasn’t sure if it was Sonny or the coffee, that he hadn’t let cool enough before he drank it down. He didn’t want to think about it right now. There was something else on his mind. “Seriously, I’m glad that you aren’t afraid of me, because of what I did...”

Sonny noticed the change in Will’s demeanor. “Scared of you? You were in juvie. You’re not a hard core criminal. Yeah you shot someone, but at the time he deserved it.”

Will didn’t agree and stiffened his posture, as he replied sternly. “No one deserves to be shot.”

Sonny was surprised, by Will’s reaction. “Of course not. I didn’t mean...”

Will was sorry, he never meant to snap at Sonny. “I’m sorry. I didn’t...”

Sonny put his hand on Will’s arm. “Don’t worry about it. I never should have joked about it.”

Will felt even worse. “I’m fine. You probably are having second thoughts about me.”

Sonny frowned at Will. He wasn’t having second thoughts about him at all. He was one of the sweetest people that he’d ever met and to think that he was this way, after spending 4 years in detention. Most people would be hardened, but not Will. “Never. You’re a nice guy.”

Will smiled. “I’m glad you think so, because I was hoping that we could...”

Just then Sonny’s barista came over and interrupted them. “Sonny, I’m not sure what’s wrong with the cappuccino machine.”

Sonny got up and started towards the counter. “Darn, I thought it was sounding funny.”

Will let out a heavy sigh and mumbled under his breath. “go out.”

Sonny realized that he had left Will in mid-sentence. He told his barista he would be there in a second and came back. “I’m sorry Will...of course we can be friends. I’ve got to go take care of that machine.”

Will gave Sonny a half smile. “Great. I’m going to get going.”

Sonny made his way back to the broken machine. “Okay. I’ll see you around.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will left the coffee house and wandered through HTS to a private area. He sat down on the bench and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees. He kept going over and over in his mind, what had just happened with Sonny. _“What were you thinking? He’s a nice guy. You should be glad he even wants to be friends. Just because you were wrong about how he felt about you, doesn’t mean that he wants to date you. People like Sonny Kiriakis doesn’t date ex cons.”_

Will let out a heavy sigh, as he sat up and leaned back. He sat there feeling sorry for himself, when some kids walked by. They were listening to music and laughing. Will thought for a second and then got up. “I think I need a place to clear my head.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny was just closing up, when his friend Tyler came in. Tyler had helped him with the renovations of the coffee house and they had hung out a few times. “Hey Sonny.”

Sonny continued to put things away. “Tyler. Hey. What brings you by?”

Tyler leaned on the counter and smiled at his friend. “Its Friday night and my friend has been working like a dog, since he opened a new place and I think he should have some fun.”

Sonny stopped what he was doing and looked suspiciously at his friend. “Did my dad put you up to this?”

Tyler gave Sonny a quizzical look. “Your dad? No. I just wanted to go clubbing and I thought that you might want to go with me. Come on. I’ll let you have the first cute guy.”

Sonny wasn’t sure. He knew that nights with Tyler, could go on forever. Although, they were really fun. “I don’t know. I’ve got to open up tomorrow at 6.”

Tyler admired his friend for being so ambitious, but he wanted the fun guy back. “Dude, what’s the point of being a boss. Let someone else do it.”

Sonny smirked and shook his head. “A boss doesn’t try and take advantage of his employees, if he wants to keep the good ones.

Tyler got what his friend was saying. “Okay, I hear ya, but its still early. We could just go for a little while and you could still be in bed by midnight. If you’re lucky, with a hottie to keep you company.”

Sonny really did want to go. He had been working non stop and it really hadn’t gotten Will off his mind and now he offered to be friends with him. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he ended up verbalizing them. “How is that going to work?”

Tyler frowned at Sonny. “We go, have a couple of drinks and dance for a bit and hopefully get lucky.”

Sonny stared at Tyler, not sure what he was talking about. “What?”

Tyler was getting impatient with his friend protesting. “Come on Sonny. Please.”

Sonny put down the cloth that he was using to clean the table and went and got his jacket . “Okay. Begging doesn’t become you though.”

Tyler was happy. He didn’t think that his friend knew what he was talking about when it came to begging though. “I don’t know. Some guys seem to like it.”

Sonny let his friend out and locked the door behind them. “I don’t want to know about your sexual behaviors.”

Tyler shrugged and walked off. “You’ve been a monk for the last month. You might need some pointers.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had been at the club for an hour. It felt good to just let himself go and not think about anything or anyone. He used his real ID to get in and had a wristband to show that he was underage, but that didn’t keep guys from buying him drinks. He had a really nice buzz, which he hadn’t had since the day he shot EJ and had to drink a six pack to get up the nerve and then another one afterwards, to try and help him forget about what he had done. 

The club was crowded and Will had followed a guy onto the dance floor, but found himself moving from one guy to another as he let the music carrying him off. He liked the idea of being popular. He was usually reserved, but the liquor and the music made him feel free.

Tyler and Sonny had made it into the club. Sonny had been there before, but it had never been this crowded before. He grabbed Tyler and pulled him back. “This is crazy. There’s too many people.”

Tyler didn’t agree. He leaned into his friend and yelled over the music. “Its great. I’m going to get us something to drink.”

Sonny didn’t want his friend to leave him. He grabbed for his arm, but it was too late, he was swallowed up by the crowd, leaving Sonny alone near the door, by the far side of the dance floor. “How in the hell are you going to find me in this mess?”

Will was unaware, but as he danced on the floor, three guys were now vying for his attention. One grabbed his arm and pulled him in close and Will slammed into him. He didn’t object, he just put his left arm over his shoulder and began swaying to the music. The second didn’t want to be outdone, so he moved in behind Will placing his hand on his hip and followed their rhythm. Will could feel his hardness as he pressed against him. Instead of freaking him out, it made him want it even more. Will lowered his right hand and grabbed the man's thigh, making sure that he kept up with them. The third man just watched from the side and became even more turned on by the sight, trying to figure out how he might get the cute blond alone.

Sonny, being pushed around by the guys that were trying to get past him, was getting aggravated. He figured that if he was going to be there, he should try and have some fun, so decided to make his way towards the dance floor. Before he could, Tyler made it back and grabbed his arm stopping him. “Sorry. It was a madhouse at the bar.”

Sonny took his beer. “That’s okay, but I don’t think I’m going to stay long. This is crazy.’

Tyler didn’t want his friend to leave. “That’s why we’re here. To be crazy. You can’t leave before we dance.”

Sonny took a swig of his beer. “Fine, but lets wait until the floor clears some.”

The music slowed and Will was feeling light headed. “I think I need some air.”

The one guy offered to go with him, but the other protested. Will didn’t really want either of them to go with him. “I can go on my own. I’ll be back.”

The two men watched as Will left the floor. He pushed through the crowd and made his way to the door.

When the music slowed, people began to leave the floor, which allow Sonny and Tyler to make their way to the floor. Sonny liked Tyler, but they were too much alike to ever make it as a couple. They were better as friends. They danced a few songs and Sonny decided that he had enough. He grabbed Tyler by the arm and pulled him closer. “It’s almost midnight. I’m out of here.”

Tyler laughed. “Okay Cinderella. I wouldn’t want you turning into a pumpkin. I’m going to hook up with that tall drink of water over there that’s been staring at me.”

Sonny looked in the direction that Tyler was pointing and patted him on the shoulder. “You sure he wasn’t looking at me?”

Tyler was always quick with the comeback. “Given your dance moves, I’m sure he lost interest. You know what they say about good dancers.”

Sonny didn’t agree with Tyler’s analogy, but he didn’t want to argue either. He started off the dance floor. “Okay then. Good luck with that. I think you’re drunk enough, that you might actually come off as cool.”

Tyler was not pleased with his friend. “You’re lucky I love you, because I hate you right now.”

Sonny didn’t reply, he just headed for the exit.

Will had made it into the fresh air and was leaning up against the building , when the guy that had been watching him on the dance floor came up to him. “I liked watching you dance.”

Will opened his eyes and looked at the man. He was a little taller than him and had dark hair. He had noticed him earlier in the evening, but he didn’t remember dancing with him. He was still feeling the affects of the alcohol, so he let his head fall back against the wall. “Thanks. Right now I’m taking a break.”

The man stepped closer to Will and placed his hand on the wall near his head. “I’m not much of a dancer. I thought that maybe you might want to take the party somewhere else.”

Will opened his eyes, as the man continued to lean on the wall, blocking Will from others view, as they came out of the club and ran his hand up Will’s arm. Will’s senses were still heighted from the liquor and his touch caused him to moan. His brain tried to take over. “I probably shouldn’t.”

The man could tell the Will wasn’t sure, he moved in close to Will’s ear and whispered. “I think you should.”

Will’s breath became more rapid, as the alcohol made him want to agree and his head had to fight his body’s urges. “Mmm...I ...I don’t know.”

The man moved his hand from Will’s arm and placed it on his chest and slowly slid it down, but Will stopped him, when he got to his waist. He leaned in close to Will’s face. “You want me to stop?”

Will stared into the man’s eyes, looking for something, but he wasn’t sure what. Then as if he found it he grabbed the man by the head and pulled him into a kiss. The man quickly joined in, pushing himself against Will, just as Sonny came walking out of the club.

Sonny noticed two men kissing and pawing at each other, just before he turned the other direction and made his way back to the coffee house to get his car. He smirked to himself. “Looks like someone got lucky.”

Will’s body had a mind of its, as he held the man by his head and hungrily kissed him. Then all of a sudden he stopped. He stood there frozen and the man frowned at him. “What’s wrong?”

Will wasn’t sure himself. He just knew that all of a sudden his body betrayed him. He was holding onto the man’s shirt and pushed him away, just as his stomach spasmed and he lurched forward, emptying its contents.

The man looked down at his shoes. “Holy crap.”

Will got control of himself and looked at what he had done. The sight and smell got to him and he felt another wave began to come over him. He turned away, to try and get it under control, as the man stepped back further to avoid being hit again, but still showed concern. “You okay?”

Will couldn’t look at the man. “I’m fine. I better go home.”

The man wasn’t happy. Not only were his shoes a mess, but a cute guy was getting away. “I’m not mad. Maybe we could go to my place and get cleaned up.”

Will covered his mouth as another wave threatened to overtake him and the guy realized that he was out of luck. “I guess not. Can I get you a cab?”

Will couldn’t even look at the man. He turned and began walking down the street. “I don’t live far. I’ll be okay.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny got home and dropped his keys on the desk. He unbuttoned his shirt and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. Tyler had good intentions, but loud clubs didn’t really do it for him anymore. Something in him wanted to know a guy better. To feel a connection, that you don’t get with a guy at a club. 

Sonny brushed his teeth. “Maybe I could join a cooking class?”

Sonny shook his head and spit out the toothpaste. “I hate cooking. Thats what restaurants are for. My problem is, that I found a guy I’m interested in, but he’s straight and I like an idiot told him that we could be friends.”

Sonny went to his dresser and got out his pajamas. He took off his clothes and tossed them in the laundry and got ready for bed. He laid in bed and stared at the ceiling. “I have no clue how am I suppose to do this. All I can do is hope he doesn’t notice anything and I don’t end up making a fool of myself.”

Sonny turned on his side and tried to get comfortable, but couldn’t manage to, because all he could think of was, how he was going to face Will the next time that he saw him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will got home and made it to his room. He couldn’t tell which was worse, the way he felt physically or mentally. He remembered the last time he got drunk, he had the same reaction. Four years changed nothing, but even worse he had embarrassed himself. He didn’t really care so much that he didn’t sleep with the guy, he didn’t even know his name, it was that he led someone on. “Maybe it was my body keeping me from making a stupid mistake.”

Will tried to forget about him, but Sonny was different. Somehow he was going to have to figure out a way to be his friend. “I have no clue how I’m going to do that.”

Will washed his face and brushed his teeth. He then started towards the bed, taking off his clothes as he went. He got his shirt off with no problem and got his pants undone. He turned around to sit on the bed, as they fell to the floor. He tried to kick them off, but he couldn’t get his foot out of one of the legs, then he realized that his shoe was still on. He bent down to get his shoe off, but his head began to spin, so he decided that wasn’t a good idea. He sat up and tried to bring the foot to him, but fell backwards, the pants and shoe still on. He laid on the bed, completely spent and decided to give up. “I can sleep like this. I’ll worry about it in the morning.”


	5. Close But Not Too Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny spend time getting to know each other a little better. Later, Will runs into an old acquaintance and Sonny feels uneasy about Will's friend.

Hope and Jennifer had decided to have a family picnic for Labor Day weekend. They had been talking about it for a while and figured that it was a good excuse to get the family together. Jennifer had invited Adrienne and Justin, since she and Adrienne had remained close in spite of her and Jack’s ever changing relationship. Hope had invited Sami. Ciara, had begged her, because she wanted to play with Allie and was even willing to tolerate Johnny. 

They both were concerned about Adrienne and Sami, but they both promised to be on their best behavior. So all Hope and Jennifer could do was keep their fingers crossed. Abby had tried to get Chad to come, but the idea of a picnic and bugs, did nothing for him. She knew that it was really because of her mother, but she didn’t press him. Abby was glad that Gabi came, she didn’t want to be the only girl and have to hang out with her cousins, even if she loved them dearly. They were still boys. “I’m glad you came Gabi.”

Gabi helped set out the food. “I am too. There’s enough food for an army.”

Will helped carry the cooler. “If the Hortons know how to do anything, that’s throw a picnic.

Jennifer agreed. “I think we’ve done Gran proud.”

Adrienne and Justin arrived with more food, while Sonny trailed behind with blankets and chairs. “Where should I put this stuff?”

Adrienne pointed over to an open spot. “Just put it over there. Maybe you can help your dad put up the canopy.”

Sonny carried the things over to the area that his mother had instructed them and dropped them in a pile. Will had been helping Bo with the grill and noticed him when he arrived. He was wearing a royal blue wife beater tee and black swim trunks. Will could see that he was toned as his muscles bulged from the weight he was carrying. His mother broke him out of his thoughts. “Why don’t you help Sonny, Will?”

Will looked in his mother’s direction and his eyes blinked, like he was trying to register what she had sad. “Huh?”

Sami laughed. “I know you weren’t thrilled about coming, but wake up. I said to go help Sonny with the canopy.”

Will gave his mother a pained smile and looked in Sonny’s direction. “Uh..Yeah. Sure.”

Sami shook her head as Will walked away and Hope walked over with bottles of water. “I swear that kid is no good before noon.”

Hope laughed. “Shawn was the same way. Just be grateful that it seems like he wasn’t affected by being away for so long.”

Sami nodded as she smiled over at her son. “You have no idea, how grateful I am.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had helped Sonny with the canopy and the adults had taken refuge underneath. Will was sitting with Abby, while Sonny was laying on his belly in front of them. Johnny and Allie came over and Johnny tapped Will on the shoulder. “Allie and I want to go swimming.”

Will looked up at his brother. “Oh really. What about Ciara?”

Allie was the quieter one of the two. She pointed over her shoulder. “She said she has a stomach ache, so her mom told her to rest.”

Will started to get up. “Well okay then. Let’s go.”

Sonny pushed up off the ground. “I’ll go with you. I’ve been wanting to get in the water since we got here.”

Will smiled at Sonny and watched as he pulled off his shirt. He knew that he was staring, but he didn’t really care, until he felt himself getting warm. He started running towards the water. “Last one in.”

Sonny got his shirt off and saw Will running, his siblings on his tail. Will pulled off his shirt in full stride. Sonny bit his lip. God was he gorgeous. He then took off after them. “Hey wait for me.”

The boys and kids played keep away and then Johnny decided that he wanted to play chicken. Johnny liked Sonny and he decided that the people with dark hair should go against the ones with lighter. Will and Sonny didn’t see a reason to argue and they lifted the two on their shoulders. Allie and Johnny got along pretty well, but like most siblings welcome an opportunity to beat on each other. Johnny and Sonny had won twice and Will decided that some needed strategy was warranted. “You know what the plan is?”

Allie nodded and smiled and Will picked her up and put her back on his shoulders. Sonny was a fierce competitor and he was not about to let them take them down. “Okay Johnny, you ready?”

Johnny rubbed his hands together, an evil grin on his face. “Ready. They are going down.”

Will and Sonny took their riders into battle and the two kids went at each other. Allie tried to grab Johnny’s hands, but he would push them away. Will reminded her of the plan and Allie remembered. She used one hand and went for Johnny’s head and Johnny put both hands up to stop her. That was when she used the other to tickle him under his arm. Johnny’s weak spot. He started laughing uncontrollably and leaned to the side to get away. Sonny tried to compensate, but controlling a wet squirming 5 year old isn’t easy. Johnny went over and took Sonny with him. Will patted his sisters legs. “Well done.”

Johnny came up for air sputtering. “No fair. You can’t tickle.”

Allie crossed her arms over her chest, as Will lifted her off his shoulder and place her in the shallow water. “If that was a rule, you should have said so in the beginning.”

Johnny was never good at losing. He marched out of the water. “I’m going to tell mom you cheated.”

Sonny started after him, when Will stopped him. “You aren’t going to convince him. Allie rarely wins and he complains every time. Thanks for helping me take care of my brother and sister.” 

Sonny smiled and Will thought the heavens opened up. “No problem. It was fun. What do you say we grab a hot dog? All that playing in the water made me hungry.”

Will licked his lips, as he watched Sonny walk off, his body still glistening from the water. “Yeah. I’m hungry too.”

The kids were worn out and the adults had taken them into the cabin to rest. Abby and Gabi had gone with them, because they had enough of the bugs. Will and Sonny decided to stay a bit longer. Sonny noticed Will’s shoulders were a little red. “Maybe you should go too. Your shoulders are looking a little pink.”

Will shook Sonny off. “I’m fine.”

Sonny got up and went over to his mom’s bag. “At least let me put some sun lotion on them. You don’t want them to get worse.”

Will eyed Sonny as his bent down and went through the bag. The idea of his hands being on him, was what he had wanted since he had gotten there. “Sure, if you think I need it.”

Sonny smiled. “Would I lie to you?”

Will shook his head. “I don't know? Would you?”

Sonny opened up the lotion and squirted some on his hand. “That sounds like a dare if ever I’ve heard one, but I won't take it. Why don’t you lay down. I’ll get your back too.”

Will turned on his stomach and crossed his arms under his head. “Okay. I’m not one to turn down a massage.”

Sonny straddled Will’s back. “Its not a massage, but its easier this way.”

Sonny began to gently rub the lotion over Will’s back and shoulders. “That feels good.”

Sonny put a little more on his hand and put more on Will’s shoulders. “It has aloe in it,so that will help with the peeling. There. That should do it.”

Sonny moved from over Will and Will sat up. “Do you want me to do you.”

Sonny was pretty proud of himself, any other time, the offer of a man doing him would have had all types of comebacks, but he held his tongue. “No, I’m good. I rarely burn. Its the Greek in me.”

Now it was Will’s turn to hold his tongue. He would love to have some Greek in him. He turned and faced the water, his legs bent, while his elbows rested on his needs. “Lucky you.”

Sonny sat next to Will. “I guess I am.”

Will figured since they were suppose to be friends, he should know more about Sonny, so he decided to ask him some questions. “So why would you spend a perfectly good Labor Day weekend on a picnic with your family. There must be a million things you could be doing”

Sonny began to pick at the grass. “Not really. I love my family. Being away from them for so long let me know that.”

Will knew how Sonny felt. “I hear ya.”

Sonny felt stupid. “How dumb of me. Me being away from my family is nothing compared to you. Mine was my choice.”

Will shrugged. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it, but why did you do it. I couldn’t imagine leaving my family now.”

Sonny looked out at the water. “I had too. Being in Dubai, I was suffocating. It had nothing to do with my parents. It was who I was or who I thought I was. I spent a lot of time just wandering lost. I had plans and they didn’t seem real anymore, so I did what I thought a gay man was suppose to do and I enjoyed what I thought a gay lifestyle meant.”

Will looked at Sonny, the idea that this guy could ever be confused about anything, didn’t register with him. “You mean to tell me you were confused.”

Sonny thought back on the first year. “Yeah I was. I hung out in all the gay spots. I thought I had to be like them, which made me lose some of me. I was looking for something that wasn’t there. I was trying to find a connection.”

Will was sad for Sonny. “...but you couldn’t?”

Sonny shrugged. “I did, but not the one I wanted or needed. I even dated an older guy for a while.”

Will was surprised. “Older?”

Sonny’s time in Italy probably taught him more than anything else. “He was in his late 30s. He had been married for 10 years. Right out of college. He was trying to do the ‘right thing’. He was miserable and finally had to admit that he had been lying to himself.”

Will understood the concept of lying to oneself. “So what happened?”

It was okay for a few months. “I think part of him still wanted that steady lifestyle that he had when he was married, but inside he was still trying to come to grips. He wanted to explore and I didn’t. I'm just not made that way.”

Will was confused. “Made that way?”

Sonny looked at Will. “My mom and dad provided a very stable home for me. We had a family that a lot of people don’t get nowadays. I want that too. I know some feel that being gay means you don’t have to be tied down, but I don’t think of it as being tied down. I think of it as being there for that special person and them being there for you. You know?”

Will knew exactly what Sonny was saying. “Yeah I know.”

Sonny realized that he was being too sappy, so he tried to turn the conversation onto Will. “But you probably aren’t like that. You just got freedom and you probably want to make up for all the time you lost.”

Will shook his head. “No. I did lose time, but its not easy for a guy like me. My past isn’t that great and before I open up to someone, I want to get to know them. To know that they will be there for me, like you said. I didn’t have a stable childhood like you did. I had quite the opposite. My mom and dad were anything but a model for a happy home. I thought I finally got one and then everything fell apart and that is why I shot EJ.”

Sonny watched Will, as he told him about his past. He could see the regret for what he had done. “You did what you thought you had to do.”

Will nodded, he knew that Sonny was right. “Maybe it seems that way, but in reality, instead of being better than my parents mess, I became a part of it. Unlike you, I don’t want to be like my parents. I want to be better. I want someone that can love me, in spite of my faults and that I can love them the same way. So I’m taking my time. I can wait.”

Sonny agree. “So can I.”

Adrienne came out from the house and saw the two men sitting and talking. “I’m not sure if I like this.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had settled into the idea that Sonny wasn’t interested in him and that they were just going to be friends. He actually began to feel good about it. It was nice being around Sonny without the pressure that a relationship holds. Abby had explained to Will that Chad felt like an outcast, since he found out that his father was a DiMiera. So Will set up a little three on three game with Chad, T and Sonny. Sonny was going to bring a few of his friends, which would make up his team. 

T, feeling like he had the superior team, went over the rules. “So you guys are the shirts and we can be the skins.”

Will started to protest, but Tyler chimed in first. “Sounds good to me. This body is reserved for special viewings.”

Sonny rolled his eyes and shook his head. “We’re all friends here Tyler. No ones trying to pick anyone up.”

Tyler looked over at the other court and waved as one of the guys looked over. “Maybe not over here, but those guys over there might be interested.”

Will smiled, as one of the guys waved back. “Looks like you have an admirer.”

Tyler took the ball from T. “See what I mean? “

T didn’t want any part of Tyler’s flirting. He was okay with Sonny and his friends being gay, but he preferred they didn’t flaunt it in front of him. He took off his shirt and threw it to the side. “Whatever. What do you say we get this started.”

Will never bothered to tell T how good an athlete Sonny was and he and his team were really giving T all the he could handle. Josh, Sonny's other friend had just faked out T and made a quick turn to the basket, setting up an easy lay up. Sonny’s team was up by 5. T was out of breath. He stood under the basket, with his hands resting on his knees. “Let’s take a break.”

The guys agreed and took a break. Will’s bottle was empty, so he went out to the fountain to fill it up. He had just finished when he heard a voice behind him. “Glad to see you’re feeling better.”

Will turned and saw the man from the club. He had obviously been working out and as indicted by the sweat the glistened on his chest, that Will couldn’t help but notice. “Uhh. yeah. How are you?”

The man stepped closer to Will. “I’m good. Do you mind?”

Will became very nervous. He had no clue what the man was talking about. “Mind what?”

The man smiled and pointed at the fountain. “If I get some water?”

Will laughed nervously and stepped out of the way. He watched as he leaned slowly over and took a sip. It was like you see in the after shave commercials, where everything the guy does is in slow motion. Will stood there mesmerized, when Sonny came into the hall. “Will, we’re waiting for you. Now get your sweet ass in here.”

Will looked at Sonny. “I’m com... I mean, just a minute.”

The man couldn’t help but notice Will’s sudden change of words. He stood up and wiped his mouth. “I’m glad you noticed.”

Will had no choice but to admit, that he was looking. “How could I not, but what happened the other day was a mistake.”

The man thought for a minute. “That guy your boyfriend?”

Will felt bad lying, but he was by no means ready for what this guy was offering. “Yeah. We kind of had a fight...”

The man threw up his hand to stop Will. “Don’t worry about it. Nothing happened, but if you change your mind, I’m there most Fridays.”

Will nodded that he understood. “Okay. “

Will made his way back to the gym and the man watched him for a second. “Hey.”

Will stopped and turned. “Yeah.”

The man threw his towel over his shoulder. “I’m Neal.”

Will smiled. “Will.”

Will had to admit that Neil was attractive, but he obviously used his body to get what he wanted and he didn’t want someone like that.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny had been doing his own adjusting to his relationship with Will. Will had stopped by the coffee shop with Gabi to study for an exam. Will said that there was nothing between them, but they sure did giggle alot. Sonny took a pot of coffee over for them. "You guys need a refill?"

Gabi shook her head. "You know your coffee is addicting. I may never sleep again."

Sonny liked Gabi well enough, but she seemed a bit into herself. Always talking about how things were done back home. "I can bring you decaf next time."

Will shook his head. "We've got at least another hour."

Sonny headed back to the counter. "Then I'll let you get back to it."

Sonny got back to the counter and could hear Will and Gabi laughing again. 

Gabi was drawing a picture of their professor. "He had this look on his face like he smelled something bad."

Will laughed. "I remember that."

Gabi reached over and touched Will's hand just as Sonny looked over at them. "I like studying with you."

A customer came in and took Sonny's attention. "I'd like an espresso."

Sonny was busy with his customer, as Will pulled his hand from Gabi. "I like studying with you too, but we're just friends. I don't like you like that."

Gabi got serious. "Whats wrong with me?"

Will could think of a lot of things, but none of them would make her feel better, so he said the only thing that seemed right. "You're practically my sister. I just don't think of you that way. I'm sorry."

Gabi understood, but was still hurt. "I guess I understand. You're still my best friend."

Will smiled. "... and you're mine. We good?"

Gabi nodded as she picked up her books and put them in her backpack. "I'm going to get going. I think we've crammed in as much as we can."

Will agreed and began putting his things away too. "You want me to walk you home?"

Gabi got up. "No thanks. Rafe is at the station. He said he'd come and get me when I was done. I'm going to go to the bathroom and then call him."

Will watched as she walked off. "Okay."

Sonny saw Gabi get up and came over. "Taking a break?"

Will put the last of his things in his bag. "No we're done."

Sonny put his coffee pot on the table. "So you think you're ready?"

Will shrugged. "As ready as I'm ever going to be."

Sonny smiled down at Will. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

Will got up from the table. "Its my first test in a long time. I'm nervous."

Gabi came out of the bathroom. "I'll see you tomorrow Will. Bye Sonny."

Sonny and Will both waved at Gabi as she left. Sonny could see the sparkle in Gabi's eye when she looked at Will. "The way you two get along, maybe you should reconsider dating her. She certainly seems into you."

Will put his backpack on. "Believe me when I tell you that Gabi Hernandez isn't the girl for me. It just too weird."

Sonny shrugged. He gave it a shot, but a person can tell if its right or not. "Okay then."

Sonny walked Will to the door. "You still have to work?"

Sonny opened the door. "Just put a few things away. I wont be here long."

Will felt bad for Sonny staying all alone. "I can stay if you'd like."

Sonny would have loved to spend some time with Will, but he had an exam. "You need to get some sleep. I'll be fine. Good night."

Will shrugged. "Okay then. Night."


	6. On The Verge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny has a run in with his mother, but realizes that he needs to come to a realization. Will has a talk with Marlena and has a weight lifted from his chest, but he too must face a reality.

Sonny had promised his dad that he would try and stop by more, but between the coffee shop and school, he didn’t have a lot of time. The time he did have, he liked spending it with Will. He was straight and they were just friends, but Sonny felt comfortable around him. There was no pressure and they laughed alot. 

He had called his mother to let him know that she was coming and his mother was at the front door to greet him. “Hey stranger. I was starting to think that you forgot where we live.”

Sonny hugged his mother. He loved her dearly, but hated when she tried to make him feel guilty, even if she was joking. “I’m at the coffee house every day, so you can stop by whenever.“

Adrienne slid her hand around Sonny’s arm and led him into the parlor. “I don’t want to smother you. The last time I was there, you told me that I didn’t have a right to interfere. 

Sonny stopped and stared at his mother. “You aren’t serious. You were telling me who I could let in my business.”

Adrienne tried to explain what she was really trying to say. “I don’t care about your business. You are right, there were some pretty skuzzy people that came into the Cheating Heart, so I would never try and control what customers you have, but this is about your image. I saw you guys at the picnic and you seemed pretty chummy. I might have served those people drinks, but you never saw me hanging out with them outside of work.”

Sonny couldn’t believe that his mother was dumping on Will again. He hoped she wasn’t saying what it seemed. So he repeated what he thought she was trying to imply. "You are calling Will skuzzy.”

Adrienne went and sat down on the sofa. “Well of course not. Will is a nice kid. Its what he did that’s the problem. Why don’t you have a seat. I had Cook bring out tea and those cookies that you like so much.”

Sonny continued to stand, not knowing where the conversation was going to end up. “Mom, I’m not a kid, that can be pursued to do what you want with a plate of cookies.”

Adrienne poured out the tea. “I’m know you’re not. I just know you like the cookies. Do you still take your tea with 1 sugar?”

Sonny was getting frustrated. “Yes, but that’s not the issue. Will is a nice guy. He made a mistake when he was a kid.”

Adrienne held up Sonny’s tea for him. “It wasn’t a mistake. Its not like he thought the gun was a water pistol. He loaded it with bullets and pointed at EJ and tried to kill him. It was completely thought out.”

Sonny looked at the cup in her hand and waved it off. He hated when his mother kept her calm, when he was ready to go through the roof. It was something that he obviously got from his father’s side of the family. He took a breath and tried again. “Okay, he thought it out, but he was sent away for 4 years, and served his time for the crime he committed. He’s not a cold hearted criminal. Have you even sat and talked to him since he’s been back?”

Adrienne put the cup back on the table. “I told you, that its not Will.”

Sonny got it now. “So its guilt by association. That’s not fair. What about Dad and Uncle Vic?”

Adrienne took a sip of her tea. “Those are your dad’s clients and like I told you with me, he doesn’t hang out with them outside of work. Your Uncle Victor is a grown man. He made his choices and although he’s with Maggie now, he was around a lot of bad people and I think he regrets a lot of it. Do you really want to end up like him?”

His mom had a point. Victor lived a horrible life, with one horrible wife after another. “No, but Will isn’t like any of those people.”

Adrienne put down her tea. “What makes you so sure?”

Sonny didn’t know how he knew. It was just something that he felt. He shook his head. “I’m not. I just don’t feel like that when I’m around him.”

Adrienne looked at her son and frowned. “Is there something going on between you and Will?”

Sonny was taken off guard by his mother’s statement. He thought that he was doing a good job keeping his feelings for Will well hidden. Even if he wasn’t, there was one thing that was true. “There’s nothing between me and Will and never will be. Will is straight.”

Adrienne was relieved for that at least. She let out a sigh. “Thank goodness for that. Then I don’t see why you are so insistent on hanging around with him.”

Sonny shrugged as he sat down next to his mother. “I like him. Its as simple as that. With everything that is going on in my life, I don’t really get a lot of time to just hang out. Its not like its just Will and me all time either. There’s Abby and his friend Gabi and other people.”

Adrienne thought for a minute and reconsidered her stance. “Gabi is a cop’s sister, so I guess hanging around her doesn’t hurt.”

Sonny was glad that his mother finally understood. “So you will lay off Will.”

Adrienne picked up her tea cup and took a sip. “With his family, you never know when something is going to happen. I just don’t want you caught in the middle of it.”

Sonny smiled at his mother for the first time since he came into the mansion. “I won’t. “

Adrienne smiled and leaned over to pick up the plate of cookies and held it out in front of Sonny. “Do you want one?”

Sonny giggled. “I do love these cookies.”

Adrienne put the plate back on the table after Sonny took one. “...and I love you.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will was sitting in his bedroom with his laptop on his lap. His father had texted him and told him that he wanted to Skype with him later in the day. Will loved to see his dad. He and his mother were getting along better, but his dad always seemed to get him. He clicked on the icon and waited for the screen to appear. “Hey Dad.”

Lucas smiled on the screen. “Hey man. It so good to see you.”

Will smiled. This was only the third time that he had talked to his dad like this and he didn't know what it was, but he looked different. He looked happy. “What’s up. What do you have to tell me that needs to be face to face.

Lucas was always the one for the joke. “I know my face isn’t that pretty, but I thought you might want to see your old man.”

Lucas was anything but an old man. “You know that’s not true. So tell me what’s the news.”

Lucas moved closer to the screen. “I’m coming home.”

Will wasn’t sure he heard his dad right. “What do you mean, for a visit?”

Lucas shook his head. “No. No. I’m being transferred back to Salem. I’m going to be there for good.”

Will was a little worried. “But what about mom?”

Lucas knew that Will always worried about him and his mom, but Lucas also knew that there was nothing there for him, when it came to Sami. “It has nothing to do with your mom. Its all for me. I miss the states and I miss you. I should have been there when you got out., but I was scared. I didn’t know what that place would do to you.”

Will put his hand on the screen. “I’m fine.”

Lucas returned the gesture and placed his hand where his son’s reached out to him. “I can see that, but that's all on you. I had nothing to do with it.”

Tears started to form in Will’s eyes. “You had everything to do with it. You taught me that to be a man, means to stand up for what's right and it wasn’t right for you to go to jail for me.”

Lucas wiped his nose. “You’re my son, I would have done anything for you.”

Will nodded. “I know.”

Lucas smiled. This was suppose to be a happy conversation not a sad one. “You know, lets not talk about that. You’re home and I going to come home and be there for you and Allie. She’s grown so much since I left and its not right that I left her the way that I did. I’m going to make things up to her and to you.”

Will nodded and smiled. “She’s going to be so excited. When do you think you’ll be home?”

Lucas looked down at some papers. “I think I can wrap things up by the end of the week. I wanted everything set before I let you know.”

Will was beside himself. He wanted his father to come home, but never wanted to pressure him. “That’s so great. I can’t wait to tell Allie.”

Lucas would have told her, but he thought that it would be better in person. “You give her a big hug and tell her I love her and will see her soon.”

Will nodded and waved at the screen. “I will. I can’t wait to see you. Bye.”

Lucas waved back to his son. “Bye buddy. Love ya.”

Will closed his laptop. He was so happy that his father was coming home, but all of a sudden he realized that his excuse for not telling his mother that he was gay, was about to be gone. “I have no clue how to do this. I think I’m going to need some help.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny was still upset about his mother and he was glad she came around, but she was right that hanging around Will probably wasn’t a good idea, but he enjoyed being with him. He enjoyed it maybe a little too much. He hated to admit it, but he was glad that Will said that he would never date Gabi, but what was the point. “Get over it dude. He’s not into you.”

Sonny took out his wallet. He and Tyler had gone to the movies and ran into a friend of his that had just gotten back from climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. At the time Sonny was too wrapped up in his coffee house and school, but he took the guys number anyway and told him he’d call. He took the number out and looked at it. “Maybe its time to stop putting it off. “

He took out his phone and dialed the number. “Hey Brian.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will was playing scrabble with his grandma Marlena. “J-O-L-T. That’s 11 and its a double word, so that makes 22.”

Will wrote down his Marlena’s score. “You’re beating my butt.”

Marlena laughed softly. “You shouldn't say butt, but I had to make up for the last game we played. I’m loving playing with you, but you did say you wanted to talk about something.”

Will looked over his letters. Talking to his grandmother was so easy most times and he didn’t think that she would have trouble with what he was going to say. His problem was that once he said it, there was no taking it back, but he couldn’t hide it forever. He wasn’t like Sonny, he couldn’t just up and go to Europe. It wasn’t like him and like Sonny had said, it wouldn’t solve anything. He thought for a second and then picked up 2 letters and placed them on the board. “Maybe this will help.”

Marlena watched as Will put his letters on the board. “Gay? Not a bad word, but...”

Will looked at Marlena, and watched as the realization of what he was trying to say came to her and then smiled when he saw that it did. “That’s me.”

Marlena reached over and patted Will’s hand. “...and I love you just the same.”

Will got up and Marlena did the same. She opened her arms to hug him. “I hoped you’d understand.”

Marlena let go of Will and frowned at him. “What is there to understand? You aren’t any different, I’ll just be meeting your nice boyfriends, instead of girlfriends.”

Will walked over and sat on the sofa. “That’s why I wanted to tell you first. No matter what I’ve done you always looked at me the same way, no matter what. No judging. Do you know how amazing that is?”

Marlena smiled, as she walked over and sat next to him and patted Will’s leg. “Yes, I am amazing. Seriously, thanks for telling me.”

Will placed his hand on his grandmother’s. “There’s a reason for that. I need your help.”

Marlena became concerned. “Is someone bothering you?”

Will shook his head. “No...no. I just need to figure out how to tell my parents.”

Marlena didn’t understand. She knew that Will’s parents loved him. “Maybe you might want to be a bit more direct than a game of Scrabble, but you just do it like you told me. They’ll understand.”

Will got up and walked away from Marlena. “Will they? They still feel guilty about me killing EJ. If they find out I’m gay, I know my mother will think its her fault. Everything is always about her.”

Marlena couldn’t argue with that. “She might, but she’ll eventually come around. Your father won’t be that way.”

Will turned back to face his grandmother. “Dad had so many plans for me. I was his little man. The chip off the old block. He’s going to blame it on me being locked away.”

Marlena got up and walked over to Will. “...but that’s not what it was. He knows that. I’ve watched you, you’ve adjusted fine since you’ve been home.”

Will nodded, he was worried when he first got out of juvie, but his family and friends had made it easy for him. “Starting school helped. It make things feel like normal, but its not normal. I need to be me and that's not the person that left 4 years ago. I’m just worried they will think that I’ve changed.”

Marlena put her hands on Will’s shoulders and looked at him sternly. “We’ll just have to show them that you haven’t.”

Will was glad he had Marlena. He pulled her into a hug. “I'm glad I have you. I haven't been able to move on with my life, when the people that I love don’t know.”

Marlena pulled back from Will to look at him. “Is there someone special that you’re seeing?”

Will shook his head and turned away. He began to play with the turned over tiles on the table. “Not really.”

Marlena put her hand on Will’s arm. “Tell me.”

Will reluctantly turned back to his grandmother. “There’s nothing to tell. I like a guy, but he’s not interested in me.”

Marlena was curious. “I find that hard to believe, but who is this guy?”

Will didn’t want to tell, but his grandmother had a way of getting things out of him. “Its Sonny Kiriakis.”

Marlena was shocked. “Victor’s nephew. He is adorable.”

Will didn’t need his grandmother reminding him. “I know, but his mother hates mom and I think she kind of poisoned him against me, but at least we are friends.”

Marlena knew Adrienne Kiriakis too well. She was a typical busy body housewife, that had nothing better to do then get in others business. “I’ve talked to Sonny several times, when I’ve stopped in for coffee. I find it hard to believe that he would let his mother guide his actions.”

Will put down the tile he was playing with and let out a sigh. “Well, that’s the reason that I’m using. Otherwise he just doesn’t like me that way and since I told Gabi that, when she tried to come on to me, I’d be getting the same treatment if I pushed him on it. I’m enjoying being friends, so lets leave it at that.”

Marlena wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t think pushing would get her anywhere. “Okay, then. What about your parents?

Will went to get his jacket. “Dad will be in on Friday. Its not the homecoming that I would like, but I really don’t want to wait any longer. Can you be there?”

Marlena smiled and gave Will another hug. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will stopped by the coffee shop. He was feeling pretty good about talking to his parents after seeing Marlena and wished he could talk to Sonny about it, but it wasn’t right. Not quite yet. “Hey Sonny.”

Sonny looked up from his pad. “Hey Will. You want your usual?”

Will smiled. He remembered the first time Sonny had made him the warm, caramel and whatever else was in it drink. He climbed on the stool at the bar and looked around. “No thanks. Just a cup of decaf. Its slow tonight?”

Sonny hated when it was slow, but it gave him a chance to talk. He grabbed a cup and the pot of decaf. “Yeah, but it happens on Tuesday’s so it seems. Not sure why.”

Will held the cup as Sonny poured. “Thanks. I was hoping that I’d catch up with you.”

Sonny put the pot away. “What’s up?”

Will took a slow drink of this coffee. “I was wondering what you were doing Friday night.”

Sonny’s heart fell. Which made him realize that what he had just done was probably the right thing. He shouldn’t be looking forward to spending time with Will, it was stupid. He smiled through it. “I’ve got a date. Sorry. Is something going on?”

Now it was Will’s turn to feel like his cat had just died. He knew that Sonny would eventually start seeing someone. He should just be happy for the time that they had. He tried to act interested. “A date? How long has this been going on?”

Sonny began to wipe the counter. “It hasn’t been doing anything yet.”

Will frowned at Sonny and put his cup down. “What do you mean? Is it a blind date?”

Sonny stopped cleaning and shook his head. “Not exactly. I’ve met the guy before, but I don’t know him very well.”

Will went back to his coffee. “A customer?”

Sonny let out a little laugh. “No. I don’t date customers. If it works its fine, but if it doesn’t you lose a customer or else they come in and its just weird.”

Will understood where Sonny was coming from. He put out his cup for a refill. “So where did you meet him?”

Sonny turned around to get the pot. “He’s a friend of Tyler’s. I met him once and he seemed nice. I’d been really busy with the shop and school, so I never called him. Things have kind of settled, so I figured why not.”

Will buried his face in his coffee cup. He knew that Sonny wasn’t into him, but the idea of him dating someone else still hurt. “Cool.”

Sonny hoped it would be, but there was part of him that kind of wished that Will didn’t like the idea of him going out. “Yeah...so, what’s going on Friday, that you wanted to get together?”

Will had forgotten all about asking Sonny to meet up. Now he needed an excuse. “They were doing a Meryl Streep marathon and I remembered that you said you liked ‘The Devil Wears Prada’, so I thought you might want to go. No big deal. I’ve seen it before.”

Sonny smiled and nodded. He was amazed that Will remembered that he had said that. It really didn’t seem like his kind of movie, but it was sweet that he wanted to take him. He stopped himself, as his thoughts started to get away from him, it wasn’t a date. “I do love that movie. Sorry I’m going to miss it. Maybe Brian will want to go.”

Will cursed to himself. There was not only a person that Sonny was going out with, that person had a name. That made it that much more real. He could hear it now. ‘Brian and I had a great time. Maybe you can find a date and the four of us can double date.’ Will stopped himself. Sonny hadn’t even gone out with the guy and he had them running off to Iowa to get married. “Maybe. It would make for a cheap date. I’m not impressed.”

Sonny thought to himself, then laughed. “You’re right. I would need an expensive dinner, for a movie that cheap. You’re funny you know. Its not like one of your dates where you pick up the tab. We’ll probably split the bill, so it doesn’t matter if its not that expensive. My guess is that we will probably go rock climbing any way.”

Will almost spit out his coffee. “Rock climbing? As in climbing on rocks and being dependent on a piece of string to keep you from falling to your death?”

Sonny was surprised by Will’s reaction. “Its a rope. Not a piece of string. Are you okay? You look kind of pale. You have something against rock climbing?”

Will realized that he had made a fool of himself, but certain things were not to be taken lightly. “Rocks, ladders...as a matter of fact, I don’t have to climb anything. Bridges and balconies aren’t that great either. Anything, where my feet are connected to the ground. “

Sonny had no clue that Will was afraid of heights. “What’s wrong with bridges and balconies? You’re feet are on the ground.”

Will nervously nodded his head. “Yeah, but there is no ground underneath to support it.”

Sonny offered Will more coffee and Will waved him off. “I had no clue. I had a vision of you, as being fearless after being away for so long.”

Will finished the last of his coffee and then gave the cup to Sonny. “All my fears that I had before I went to detention are still with me and I brought back some new ones, which slowly I’m trying to conquer.”

Sonny put the cup away. “That’s how you have to be. Maybe I’ll take you hiking and we can conquer that fear.”

Will picked up his jacket. “Maybe, but there's a bigger one that I want to handle first.”

Sonny wasn’t sure what Will was talking about, but he wished him well. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Will waved at Sonny as he left. “Have fun on your date”

Sonny returned the wave and watched will leave. “I’ll try.”


	7. Mind Over Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will comes out to his parents, while Sonny goes on a date. Both have images of how the evening will go, but neither imagined how it would end.

Lucas had arrived from China early that morning. Will was even more excited than Allie to see him.  She was just a baby when he left and even though they had talked on the phone and skyped over the years, it was hard for Allie to build a real bond with her father.  Will helped her make a card and a sign to hang in Lucas’ apartment.  

It had been a wonderful day and Allie wanted to stay with Lucas, but Will had arranged for Kate to watch her for the evening, so that he could spend time with him and his mother.  Kate didn’t ask any questions.  She rarely spent time with her granddaughter, since her and Sami still didn’t get along.

Will had asked Marlena to meet him outside their apartment for a pep talk and the two of them came into the apartment together.  Sami got nervous right away.  “Hey mom.  Why are you here?”

Marlena put her arms around Will, as one more sign that she was there and addressed her daugher.  “Will asked me to be here.  He’s got something very important to discuss with you.”

Sami was even more nervous now. “What?  Why?  What’s going on Will?”

Lucas got up and tried to calm Sami down, which  usually was a useless endeavor.  “Come on Sami.  Why don’t you let Will talk.”

Sami turned and right away got mad at Lucas.  “This is probably your fault.  Everything was fine and you’re in town for less than a day and things are already going to pot.”

Will stepped forward to try and  calm his mom.  “This has nothing to do with dad.”

Sami turned back around and looked at her son.  She then turned her attention to Marlena.  “Does it have to do with her?”

Will shook his head. “No mom...”

Sami was beside herself.   “Its me isn’t it?  I should have known.”

Marlena stepped beside Will.   She talked to Sami in a stern tone. “If you will give him half a chance he will tell you .  Now sit down and listen.”

Lucas moved back to the sofa and grabbed for Sami’s arm.  Sami looked back at him, still upset and then looked back at her son and mother and began to slowly back up to the sofa and sat down.  Lucas rested his hands on Sami’s shoulders, partially to keep her calm,  but mostly to keep her seated through whatever Will had to say.   “Okay, we’re listening.  What is it?”

Marlena patted Will on the shoulder, to encourage him to start.  Will glanced over his shoulder and nodded that he was ready.  “What I have to say has nothing to do with anyone but me.  Its no ones fault, but I think you should know, that I’m gay.”

Sami started to get up, but Lucas held her in place.  Partially for her, but mostly so he could have something to hold, as he tried to absorb what his son had said.  She glanced over her shoulder at him, then back at her son. “When did this happen?”

Will wasn’t sure how to answer the question.  “When I was born?”

Sami shook her head.  “I mean, when did you realize?”

Will was worried about the reaction, but answered anyway.  “When I was at the detention center.”

The answer was what Lucas had been afraid of.  He got up from the sofa and walked away.  He was distraught. “That’s what I was afraid of and that’s why I never wanted you to take the blame for shooting EJ.”

Will walked over to his father.  ‘Whether I was in detention, Switzerland or right here in this apartment, that wouldn’t change anything. I would still be gay.”

Lucas turned around, “...but you weren’t before you left.”

Will bit his lip.   He could feel the tears as they  began to form in his eyes. “I don’t know what I was when I left. I was a kid. I noticed girls, but thinking back on it, I noticed boys even more. The girls were so that I fit in better. All my friends were into them and I didn’t want be left out.”

Sami got up and walked over to her son.  “Why didn’t you tell us when you first got out?”

Will turned and looked at his mother.  “I don’t know.  I had just gotten out, after being gone for 4 years. Everyone was watching me. I didn’t know how.  What was I suppose to say, ‘By the the way, now that I’m out,...I’m out?’  That would have made people freak out even more. I wanted you to see that I was okay first and besides Dad wasn’t here.”

Lucas still was having trouble taking it all in. “Thanks for not sending me a text.”

Will turned back to his father. He was starting to get upset about it all.  “I didn’t have to tell you at all. I could have just gone off to school and kept you in the dark .  I thought you might want to know.”

Lucas felt bad.  He never wanted his son to hide things from him. “No....no, I wouldn’t want that. I’m sorry.  I just never expected this.  I’m not good, when I’m caught off guard.  You’ve had time to adjust, so give me some time.”

Will nodded. His father was right.  He did spring this on him all of a sudden.  “You’re right.  I guess I was hoping for the same response that Marlena gave me.”

Sami turned to look at Marlena.  “How long have you known?”

Marlena didn’t bother to move from  the spot that she had been standing, since Will had told his parents.  She wanted him to handle it on his own and he was doing an amazing job. “Only a few days. He wanted  to know how to tell you.”

Sami frowned and turned back to her son.  “You needed help to tell us?”

Will looked between his parents.  “I worried that you wouldn’t understand and would see me differently.”

Sami walked up to her son and held him by the arms.  “I might be confused and it might take me awhile to wrap my head around it, but I don’t love you any less.”

Will wrapped his arms around his mother.  “Thanks mom.”

Lucas walked over and patted Will on the back. “Your parents have always been wrapped up in their own lives, but one thing we got right is you and that hasn’t changed.”

Will let go of his mother and hugged his father.  “I love you, Dad.”

Lucas wrapped his arms tightly around his son. “I love you son and nothing is ever going to change that.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It turned out that Brian hated “The Devil Loves Prada” and wasn’t interested in going.  He did want to go to the climbing wall, but after speeding up it, decided that maybe they should have done something more physical, because the wall wasn’t challenging enough.   Sonny tried to take it in stride.  He wasn’t really into climbing walls either.  He prefered to do the real thing.  

They ending up at a cafe for dinner.  Sonny had ordered the duck.  “This is good.  Would you like some?”

Brian frown at Sonny’s plate.  “I’m not against anyone that eats animals, but the idea kind of disgusts me.”

Sonny looked down at his plate and shrugged.  He didn’t care what anyone thought, the duck was tasty and he was going to eat it. “Suit yourself. I didn’t know you were a vegetarian.  How long have you been one?”

Brian took a sip of his wine. “...about 4 years.  I went vegan last year.  I feel  so much better since I did.  You should try it for a week. You’ll notice the difference.”

Sonny had enough of the talk about food.  It obviously wasn’t a good subject, because unless instructed by a doctor, he was not given up hamburgers.  “Tell me about Mt Kilimanjaro. I’ve always wanted to go to Africa.”

Brian’s face lit up.  “It was amazing.  You really should go.  I can show you the pictures, if you’d like. I’ve got some others I want to do , but I’d love to go back. I just wish you didn’t have to get all those shots.”

Sonny agreed.  “That was another reason I didn’t go.”

Sonny listened to Brian talk about his travels and periodically interjected some of his own, which Brian seemed to be impressed by, until he would turn the conversation back to one of his adventures.  Sonny was starting to realize that this date was going nowhere and he was looking for any reason to end it, but none came to mind.  He decided to just enjoy the wine.  

Sonny was feeling no pain as he finished his third glass.  “What do you say we get out of here.”

Brian had paid the bill, since Sonny had paid for the climbing wall, but Sonny insisted on leaving the tip, although he had trouble making out the bill.  He threw a 10 on the table and hoped that it was enough and followed Brian out of the cafe.  

Will had walked Marlena home and was on his way back to his apartment.  He was on top of the world. He had come out to his grandmother and his parents and they all were fine with it. How could he be so lucky.  He let out a sigh.  “Yeah right.  I don’t feel lucky.  The one person that I want to share this with is on a date. I bet Brian doesn’t have a record.”

He shook his head and continued walking home.  

The wine seemed like a good idea at dinner, but as Sonny walked with Brian, he began to have second thoughts.  “Whoa, the sidewalk is moving.”

Brian took Sonny’s arm to settle him.  “I can imagine. You had 4 glasses of wine.”

Sonny frowned at Brian, as he held two fingers up. “No I didn’t, I had 3.”

Brian looked at Sonny’s hand and shook his head.  “It doesn’t matter how many you had, you obviously had too many. I better get you home.”

Sonny shrugged and grabbed hold of Brian’s arm, as they made their way down the street.  “I don’t usually drink wine.  I prefer beer, I’m much better when I drink beer.”

Brian smiled, as he put his arm around Sonny to make sure he stayed on course.  He had thought the date was going well, but now he wasn’t so sure.  Sonny was drunk, but at least he was a pleasent one.  “I’ll remember that for the next time.”

Sonny looked up at Brian. “Next time?  You want to go out with me again?”

Brian continued coaxing Sonny down the street.  He chuckled. “Yeah sure, you’re kind of cute when you’re drunk.”

Will had made it to the coffee house and noticed Sonny coming down the street.  He didn’t feel like making polite chit chat, so he ducked into one of the doorways and out of sight. He saw Sonny cuddled up with his date as they walked towards his apartment.  “Great. Looks like they are having a good time.”

Will thought for a second.  “Well, its  Friday night and I’m gay,out and proud.  Might as well celebrate.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will came into the club, it wasn’t as crowded at it was the last time, but it still looked like everyone was having fun.  He made his way to the floor and started dancing with the first guy he saw.  The guy didn’t protest and turned around and began dancing with him and Will did what he could to forget Sonny.

\------------------------

Brian had gotten Sonny home and Sonny’s buzz began to wear off.  All he wanted to do now was get to bed. Brian had taken Sonny’s key and opened his door for him.  Sonny walked inside after Brian handed his key back.  “Thanks for walking him home.  Sorry it didn’t end on a better note.”

Brian smiled, he was sorry too.  “That’s okay.  I’ll talk to you soon.”

Sonny nodded and closed the door.  He threw his keys on the desk and leaned on the door.  “Not if I can help it.”

He let out a sigh and walked over and sat on his bed.   He took out his phone and pulled up Will’s number.  He ran his hand over Will’s smiling face. “I wonder what you ended up doing tonight?”

He threw the phone on the bed and fell back on his back.

\---------------------

Will had been dancing a while and decided that he needed a drink.  He head towards the bar, when someone held a beer in front of him.  He turned around to see who the beer was attached to and was pleasantly surprised.  “Hey Neil.”

Neil smiled at Will.  “You look like you could use this.”

Will took the beer from Neil.  “I could.  Thanks.”

Neil watched as Will drank his beer.  “More trouble at home?”

Will frowned at Neil.  “What?  Oh...no. I just felt like getting out.”

Neil stepped closer and leaned down to whisper in Will’s ear.  “I’m glad you did.”

\-----------------------

Sonny finally got up and went to the bathroom to get ready for bed.  He had hoped that things went better with Brian. He was nice enough, but there just wasn’t a connection.

He climbed under the covers and picked up his phone again and looked at Will’s number.  He then quickly put it down.  “You need to stop this.”

He then laid down and tried to sleep, but something kept invading his thoughts. “It would have been nice to go to the movie with him.”

\---------------------

Will finished his beer and it was just enough to take the edge off, the next thing he knew he and Neil were lip locked in the backseat of Neil’s car.  Neil pulled back. “Maybe we can go to your place?”

Will shook his head before going back in for another kiss.  “Can’t I live with my mom.  What about yours?”

Neil shook his head between Will’s assault on his lips and neck. “Roommates.”

Will decided that the back of Neil’s car was going to have to do.  “I guess its here then.”

Will reached for Neil’s pants and Neil grabbed his hand to stop him.  “Wait, wait.  I’m loving this, don’t get me wrong, but what’s the rush.”

Will stopped and looked at Neil in the dim light of the car.  “I just came out to my parents and I don’t have any more excuses.”

Neil looked at Will for a moment and then closed the distance and again covered his mouth with his own.

\------------------------

Sonny woke up with a fright.  He was breathing heavy and forgot where he was for a second.  He realized that he was in his room and laid back down, he drifted back to sleep and began to dream.  

_He was standing in a room, at least he thought it was a room.  He was still in his pajama bottoms and his bare feet were on what felt like a marble floor.  It was cold.  He felt around and tried to touch  the wall or find a door, but he couldn't feel anything.  “Is anyone here?”_

_He then felt a warm hand on his shoulder. “I’m here.”_

_Sonny turned around and a face appeared in front of him.  “Will?”_

_Will stepped closer to him and moved his hand to Sonny’s face, cupping it in his palm.  “You’re so beautiful.”_

_Sonny wasn’t sure what was happening.  Under other circumstances, he would be scared, but looking into Will’s eyes like this, he wasn’t, but he was still confused. “Where are we?”_

_Will stepped closer and gently pressed his lips to Sonny’s.  “We are exactly where we are meant to be.”_

_Sonny accepted the kiss, he moved his hand to the back of Will’s head and pulled him in tighter as Will deepened the kiss.  It was everything that he had dreamed it would be, but just as quickly as Will appeared he vanished.  Sonny frantically searched for him. “Will where are you?  Come back. “_

Sonny woke again.  He was back in his room.  He was out of breath, as if he had been running.  He rubbed his hands over his face and shook his head.  “Damn Will.  Now you’re in my dreams.”

\--------------------

Neil climbed out of his car and Will followed him, while trying to button his pants. “I said I’m sorry, okay?”

Neil shook his head,  as he pushed his shirt back into his pants and made his way back to the club.  “No problem.”

Will caught up with Neil and grabbed his arm.  “Then why are you leaving.”

Neil stopped and turned to face Will.  “I was just looking for a good time, but when someone calls me another name, it freaks me out.  I’m not that hard up.”

Will closed his eyes as Neil, turned and began to walk away.  He got up his courage and ran after Neil again. “It was just a slip of the tongue.  I know you’re Neil.”

Neil stopped again and dropped his shoulders.  No matter how cute this guy was, it didn't change anything.  He was upset as it was, but this was getting silly.  He turned back to Will for the last time.  “I don’t know who this Sonny guy is, but why don’t you give him a call. You obviously have it bad for him, if you're calling out his name when another guy is going down on you.  You might be out of the closet, but you are far from being free to be who you are.”

Will watched as Neil went back into the club.  He felt like a jerk, as he kicked the trashcan next to him.  “Damn, I’m such an idiot.  How could I have done that?”

He let out a sigh and headed home.


	8. Facing The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny and Will both regret their nights with Brian and Neil, a night that makes them both realize that being friends is more complicated than they thought. Will opens up to his cousin, while Sonny opens up to a friend.

Will didn’t want to see Sonny, after seeing him and Brian walking through HTS.  Sonny wasn’t keen on seeing Will either.  After the dream, he was thinking that distance might be the way the go.  Both were determined to keep their distance, but neither had taken into consideration outside forces.

Jennifer needed help at the church moving boxes for a rummage sale, that she was in charge of organizing.  Sami and Adrienne had both volunteered their son’s assistance.  Sonny had dropped by the house to help Jennifer bring some boxes over.  He was  unloading them when Will arrived at the church.  

Jennifer had a million things to do. “Will, I’m so glad you’re here. Can you finish helping Sonny with the boxes?”

Will hadn’t expected Sonny to be there, but he smiled and walked over.  “Sure.  No problem.”

Sonny had already picked up a box and was headed into the school gym and  Jennifer ran inside. Will picked up a box to take in and walked inside.  Sonny was already emptying the contents of the box that he had carried in.  “Where should this one go?”

Sonny never expected Will to be there and wasn't sure how to handle things.  He pointed at one of the signs, then went back to work.  “You sort them into the categories according to the signs.”

Will looked at the signs along the walls.  “Goodness, they have everything here.”

Sonny finished his box and then walked over to Will.  “Jennifer said that its a major fundraiser for the church and a good way to clean out your closet.”

Will put his box on a table and opened it up.  He could tell that things were strange between them. Now that he had a new guy, he probably didn’t have time for Will, which was what he had figured.  “Who would get rid of something like this?”

Sonny watched as Will pulled a shirt out of the box.  It must have been the ugliest shirt he had ever seen.  “I would.  More importantly, who would have bought something that looks like that in the first place?”

Will looked at the shirt, a serious expression on his face.  “You have no sense of imagination.  This would make a perfectly good dust rag.”

Sonny laughed and hit Will on the arm.  “You had me worried for a minute.”

Will was glad that he was able to break the tension.  He began to sort his box.  “Its hard to believe that people would buy half this junk.  Hey wait, what’s this?”

Sonny was about to go out and get another box, but stopped and walked back over to see what Will was talking about.  “What did you find?”

Will pulled out what looked like an old game, but it was much more than that.  “Its a magic kit.”

Sonny frowned.  “Who would want that?”

Will looked it over. “I would.  I use to love magic.  This  has  all the good ones.  Disappearing balls, magic rings.  Its even got a few card tricks. “

Sonny didn’t get the fascination,.  It still looked like a piece of junk, but Will obviously was into it.  “Maybe you should buy it.”

Will decided against the magic kit and put it down.  “I guess not, but it is cool.”

Sonny smiled as he left the gym.  “You’re just a kid at heart.”

Will and Sonny brought in the rest of the boxes and sorted them out on the tables.  Sonny  finished the last box.  “Done.”

They had laughed as they went through the boxes, at the different things that they found and Sonny felt  more comfortable.  He took the box and put it with the others and decided that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to hang out with Will.  “What did you end up doing last night?”

Will was feeling better about being with Sonny, but talking about the previous night made him feel uneasy again.  He had hoped that since Sonny didn’t ask earlier, that they had gotten past the point of asking.  “Who me?   I went out and ran into a friend.”

Sonny thought that he knew all of Will’s friends.  “Who?”

Will decided to fold some of the clothes on the table.  Not overly proud of his time with Neil.    “No one you know.”

Sonny didn’t understand why Will was all of a sudden being so strange.  Then he thought that he had it figured out.  “Will are you seeing someone?”

Will closed his eyes.  Here was the double date, that he knew would come, but there was not going to be one in this case. He turned to face Sonny and tried to brush off his encounter with Neil, as nothing, but it might have been the most embarrassing thing that he had ever done.  “No, not really. It was just something to do.  We went to a club and hung out.  No big deal.  How about you?  How was your date?”

Sonny did not want to talk about his wreck of a date.  He wished that he could forget it, it didn’t help that he got drunk in the process.   “It was okay. We ended up doing the climbing wall.”

Will turned back to the clothes again.  “Did he like it?”

Sonny leaned on the table.  “Well enough I guess.  He’s really into mountain climbing, so it wasn’t much of a challenge.”

Will, was even more discouraged.  This guy could go on the trips that Will never would, because he refused to leave the ground.  He turned back around.  “Well, you two sound perfect for each other.”

Will had no clue how wrong he was.  Given that on paper, Sonny and Brian had a lot in common, personality wise, not so much.  “You would think. I’m not so sure.”

Will sensed that Sonny didn’t have the best time.  “So do you think you’ll go out again?”

It was Sonny’s turn to play with things on the table.  He didn’t really like Brian, but he didn’t want Will to think that he was into him.  It would make things even stranger than they were. “He wants to. I guess he was nice enough.”

Will was just about to tell Sonny about his talk with his parents, when Jennifer came in.  “This place looks great.  Sonny can you help me with the banners?”

Will was hoping that he would get another chance to talk to Sonny more, so he got Jennifer’s attention before she could leave.  “Should I come too?”

Jennifer looked around.  “Everything here seems done.  I just need the sign and one person can do that, so you can probably go.  Thanks so much for your help.”

Will watched as Sonny left with Jennifer.  “No problem.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Abby had texted Will shortly after he left the church and he stopped by to see her.  Abby opened the door and pulled him into a hug.  “Hey bud.  Glad you could stop by.”

Will hugged his cousin, but was curious about why she wanted to see him.  He walked inside after she let go. “No problem. What’s up?”

Abby got serious, as she led him into the living room.  “I was at the pub and I overheard your mom talking to Caroline...”

Will didn’t wait for Abby to finish.  “..about me being gay.”

Abby was shocked. “Yeah.  Why didn’t you tell me?”

Will sat on the sofa and rested his hands on his lap.  “Would it have made any difference?”

Abby realized that she was letting her shock, come off as not being supportive of her cousin. She walked over and sat next to him.  “Will, I’m so sorry. You’re being gay, doesn’t change anything. I just don’t understand how I never realized, we were always so close. We’ve seen each other a lot since you’ve been back.”

Will was probably closer to Abby, than anyone else his age. “I didn’t tell anyone. I couldn’t. I was afraid that things would change between us and that you would see me differently.”

Abby pulled Will into a hug. “I would never do that. I love you Will.”

Will rested his head on Abby’s shoulder. “I love you too Abby.”

Abby let Will go, but still held his hand. “So what now? Who have you told?”

Will shrugged. “I haven’t really told anyone. Just my parents and Marlena. I don’t know. I’ve kept it to myself for so long, I don’t know where to go from here. Now that my mother knows, I’m sure everyone will soon. You overheard her telling grandma.”

Abby knew how Will’s mother could be. “Well, that’s good I guess. Its got to be a relief to not be keeping a secret like that anymore. Now you don’t have to worry and you’re free to live your life.”

Will got up and walked over to the fireplace. He looked at the picture of his grandma and grandpa Horton. “Yeah, I guess.”

Abby got up and walked over to Will. “You guess?  I know its not easy. Meeting a nice gay guy, is probably no different than meeting a straight guy, but at least you can let it happen.”

Will continued to eye the pictures on the mantel.  He had already met a nice guy.  The problem was that he wanted to be friends.  “I haven’t really thought that far.“

Abby wasn’t getting it, then she got an idea. “Maybe you can talk to Sonny. He must know something about it. He told me he was going out the other night.”

Will closed eyes. Sonny was the last person that he wanted to talk to. “I don’t think so. I’m still trying to get use to the idea of people knowing. I’m not ready for people to start fixing me up .”

Abby backed away. “I get it. You want to do it in your own time.”

Will finally turned around to face his cousin. ‘Yeah I do. I know my mother is going to spread it around town, which is going to make things worse, so can you not say anything for now”

Abby nodded, as she took Will’s hands. “I won't say a word.”

Will headed for the door.  “Thanks.  I’ll talk to you later. “

Abby walked Will out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny finally got to the coffee house and was putting on his apron when Tyler came in.  “Hey Sonny.  How was your date with Brian.”

Sonny finished tying his apron and leaned on the counter close to his friend.  “Why didn’t you tell me that Brian was self-absorbed.”

Tyler sat up and held up his hands.  “Hey, don’t blame me.  I told you he wasn’t my type.”

Sonny couldn’t believe his friend.  “Not your type?  I thought you were talking about the outdoorsy type.”

Tyler knowing his friend wasn’t going to slug him, leaned on the counter.  “Naw.  The plant eating, everything I do is great type.  Can I have a mocha latte?”

Sonny let out a sigh and turned to make his friend’s drink.   “I’d never do that to you Tyler and you know it.  It was a complete waste of an evening.”

Tyler played with the napkin that Sonny had put down.  “I thought I was doing you a favor”

Sonny turned back around with Tyler’s drink.  He gave him another napkin, when he noticed that Tyler had destroyed the first one.  “How were you doing me a favor?  He bored me to tears.  I got drunk, so I wouldn’t have to listen to him.”

Tyler picked up his latte.  “I knew he wasn’t the love of your life, but I thought that you could talk about mountains or something and it would get you out of your stupor.”

Sonny wiped the counter and frowned at Tyler.  “Stupor?  What stupor?”

Tyler licked his lips, as he tasted his drink.  “You haven’t been wanting to go out and you’re always hanging out with that Horton guy.  You got it bad for him don’t you?”

Sonny tried to play off what his friend had said.  “Who Will?  Are you crazy?  He’s straight.”

Tyler continued to enjoy his drink.  “So were we all once.  And even if he is, that doesn’t mean you can’t have a crush.  Don’t try and deny it.  I know you too well, Man.”

Sonny leaned closer to Tyler.  “Its nothing.  So just leave it alone.”

Tyler put down his drink.  “I’m your friend Sonny.  If you like him tell him and maybe  something can come of it and if it doesn’t, at least you aren’t lying to him or to yourself.”

Sonny leaned back on the workstation behind him and crossed his arms.  “I’m not lying to myself.”

Tyler shook his head, as he began to drink his drink again.  “You’re lying to yourself, like all gay men do.  Hoping that Will is in denial and when he finally realizes who he is, you’ll be right there for him.  Maybe Brian wasn’t the right guy, but you’re never going to find him, if you’re sitting around waiting for Will.”

Sonny wanted to tell Tyler that he was wrong, but everything that Tyler had said was right.  He dropped his arms and walked back over to his friend and leaned on the counter again.  “I know.  There’s just this thing between us.  I’ve tried. That’s why I went out with Brian.”

Tyler felt bad for his friend. “There’s nothing to feel bad about.  We’ve all been there at some point.  With me, it was this guy that had the locker next to me in jr. high.”

Sonny knew where Tyler was coming from.  “I’ve been there too, but this is different.  I want to be with him all the time and the other day, I had this dream...”

Tyler knew that drastic steps were needed.  He finished his drink.  “This Friday.  No excuses.  We are hitting the club and you are not leaving until you have had your fill of what the gay men of Salem have to offer.”

Sonny tried to protest.  “Tyler... ”

Tyler got up.  “I’ll be here to pick you up at 9.  Be ready and I want you to look tasty.”

Sonny smiled, as he watched his friend leave. “Tasty?  What is that suppose to mean?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will felt a little uneasy, after talking to Abby  He knew that she wouldn’t say anything, but Sonny worked at a coffee shop, that he knew that he grandmother Marlena frequented.  “What if she says something to him?”

Will decided that he should be the one to tell Sonny himself, so he headed over to the coffee shop to see him. 

Brian wasn’t sure if Sonny was his type, but he thought that he should stop by and see if he was okay after leaving him drunk at his apartment.  He walked in and Sonny had just taken care of a customer and was walking back to the counter.  “Hey Sonny?”

Sonny smiled at Brian as he made his way around the counter.  “Brian?  How are you?”

Brian smiled back at Sonny.  “Good.  I wanted to check on you.  Are you okay?”

Sonny shook his head and shrugged.  “I’m fine.  Took a few aspirin before bed and  slept in the next day.  Nice of you to stop in and check on me.”

Brian sat at the counter.  “That’s not the only reason I stopped by.  Heard that you served a mean cappuccino.”

Sonny smiled and turned to make Brian his drink. “I have heard that.”

Brian watched Sonny.   “I know that things were kind of strange the other night, but I was wondering if you might want to do it again.”

Just then Will came into the shop.  He saw Brian sitting at the counter and Sonny making his drink then turning and giving him that familiar smile, as he placed it on the counter .  He started to leave, but decided that he needed to face them eventually, so he walked over.  “Hey Sonny.”

Sonny smiled at Will, when he heard his voice.  “Will. Hey.  How are you doing?”

Will nodded and sat on the stool next to Brian.  “I’m fine.”

Sonny realized that he wasn’t being polite. “Where’s my manners. Brian, this is my friend Will. Will this Brian.”

Will shook Brian’s hand.  “This is the Brian that you went out with?”

Brian smiled. He was glad to hear that Sonny talked about him?  “Yeah.  We were just talking about going out again.”

Will’s heart sank. He actually was able to see him, as opposed to the darkness of HTS.  He was gorgeous.  Tall, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes.  He oozed the confidence, that was needed to climb all those mountains. “That’s nice.”

Sonny didn’t want to shoot Brian down in front of Will, so he ignored the statement. “What can I get for you Will?”

Now was obvioiusly not the time to tell Sonny that he was out, so he just ordered a drink. “I’ll have my usual.”

Brian watched as Sonny turned to make Will's drink, then turned his attention to Will. “So how do you two know each other?”

Will watched Sonny. “We kind of share a cousin...but we aren’t related. We just kind of hit it off I guess.”

Brian smiled and looked at Sonny again.  “Well, with any luck, I’ll be hanging around more, so hopefully we can be friends too.”

Will took his drink after Sonny turned and put it on the counter.  He put  4 singles on the counter and got up.  “Sure.  I’ll see you around.”

Sonny waved at Will as he left.  Brian watched Will as he left.  “Nice to meeting you Will.”

Sonny waited til Will was out the door.  “I wish you hadn’t done that.”

Brian frowned at Sonny.  “Done what.  I thought you would want me to be nice to your friends.”

Sonny began to clean the counter.  “I do or I would if we were a couple. I didn’t even say that I would go out with you.”

Brian was take off guard.  “I thought you had fun.”

Sonny let out a sigh and shook his head.  “You said yourself that things were strange.  I don’t normally drink like that.  I..I”

Brian got what Sonny was getting at.  “You weren’t into me.”

Sonny felt kind of bad.  “I just don’t think we have much in common.”

Brian got up from his seat.  “I get it.  That’s fine. You do make a good cappuccino.”

Sonny watched as Brian took out his wallet.  He put out his hand to stop him. “Don’t worry about it.  Thanks again for getting me home the other night.”

Brian put his wallet away, before he left.  “No problem.  I’ll see you around.”

Sonny felt like a jerk.  He turned around and ran his hands over his face, then rested them on his chin in prayer position, as he looked up at the ceiling.. “Tyler I hope you’re right.  Maybe some good did come out of this though.  Maybe Will won’t hang around if he thinks I’m seeing someone.”  


	9. Words Cannot Explain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny both end up at the club.

It was another Friday night and Will hadn’t seen Sonny since the day at the coffee house when he and Brian were planning their date.  He had just finished dinner with his family and his mom was trying to get the kids ready for bed.  Will got up and cleared the plates.  “I can wash the dishes.”

Sami smiled at her son.  “That’s nice of you Will, but its Friday night, why don’t you go out and do something with your friends?

Will put the dishes in the sink.  “I don’t have any plans.  Abby and Chad are going out on a date and T and Gabi said something about some fraternity/sorority rush thing.”

Sami walked over to the counter.  “You must have some other friends. What about Sonny?

Will began to wash the pots.  “He’s got a date.   I’m fine.  I’ve got a paper I need to work on.”

Sami frowned at her son and then went to the bedroom to put the twins down.  “If you say so.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tyler showed up at nine sharp.  “You ready to go?

Part of Sonny had no desire to go to the club, but another part was excited.  It had been a while and even if he didn’t think that he would run into anyone interesting, that didn’t mean he couldn’t have fun.  “Yeah I need a minute.  I have to put the night receipts way.”

Tyler watched as Sonny ran in the back.  “I’ll be right here.”

The barista that was behind the counter, was making espresso for a customer, when she let out a scream.   Tyler rushed to the counter.  “You okay?”

Sonny was coming from the back and rushed over to help.  “What happened?”

The barista, was holding her hand.  “I spilled the steamed milk.”

Sonny looked at her hand.  It was red from where the milk had spilled.  “It doesn’t look too bad.  Lets get you to the sink.”

Tyler watched as his friend helped the girl to the sink.  “Is she going to be okay?”

The girl winced as Sonny put her hand under the cold water.  “This should make it feel better.  Tyler, can you go in the back and get the medical kit?”

Tyler frowned as he tried to see.  “Medical kit?  How bad is it?”

Sonny looked over his shoulder and talked through gritted teeth.  “Just go get the kit.”

Tyler frowned and turned to go.  “Fine, but I can’t imagine its that bad.”

Sonny continued to hold the girl’s hand under the water.  “Is that better Sarah?  This should help the sting.”

Sarah nodded, as he fought back tears.  “Yeah.  Its starting to feel numb.”

Sonny pulled her hand from under the water and looked at it.  “Its still red.  I’ll put some ointment on it and then some gauze.  I want you to go home.”

Tyler came back with the medical kit.  “What do you mean? We’re suppose to be leaving.”

Sonny took the kit from Tyler.  “Tyler, I can’t make her work if she’s hurt.  The place closes in a few hours.  We’ll have plenty of time to get our groove on.”

Tyler pouted and went over to sit on the stool at the counter.  “Grove on?  No wonder you can’t get a date.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will had  finished the dishes and was sitting and watching a movie on tv, when his mother came out. “What are you watching?”

Will was slumped down in the sofa, a bowl of chips on his chest.  “Harry Potter.”

Sami walked over and sat next to him.  She grabbed a chip from the bowl.  “Which one?”

Will took a swig of his soda.  “I think the third one.  Not sure.”

Sami found the remote and pointed it at the tv, to turn it off.  “This is crazy.”

Will sat up and grabbed for the remote control.  “I was watching that.”

Sami grabbed the chips and got up off the sofa and put them and the remote on the counter.  “You’re 19 years old and its Friday night.  You should be going out and having fun not sitting around the house watching Harry Potter.”

Will didn’t agree.  “I like Harry Potter.”

Sami nodded her head. “I know you do.   You’ve probably seen all of them 10 times.  I’m proud of you for coming out and now that you are, you should enjoy it.”

Will shook his head and walked back to the sofa and sat down.  “Just because I’m gay, that doesn’t mean that all of a sudden, my life becomes all rainbows and glitter.  I’m still the same guy I was before.”

Sami walked over to her son and sat down next to him.  “Okay, forget about the gay thing.  You’re a young college kid, there’s gotta be something going on around campus.  You said Gabi and T were at some sorority/fraternity thing.  Don't the fraternities have parties and stuff?.”

Will took the pillow from the sofa and hugged it to his chest.  “I don’t want to go to a frat party. All those guys are the same.”

Sami thought for a minute, then got an idea.  “What about going to a club.  There’s  one that opened not that long ago.  I remember reading a review.  I think its a big gay hang out .  You could meet people.”

Will had more than enough.  His mother obviously wasn’t going to let it go.  He got up and headed for his room.  “Fine.  I’ll go out.  Most parents would be happy if their kids are safely at home.”

Sami watched her son leave the room.  She got up and went to get the remote and grabbed the bowl of chips.  She sat down on the sofa and turned the tv back on.  She leaned back and started to watch the movie.  “This isn’t the 3rd one.  Its the 5th one.  I love Harry Potter.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tyler was trying to convince Sonny to close early so that they could go, when Sonny’s mom came in.  “Hey guys, I thought you were going out clubbing?”

Tyler smiled at Adrienne.  “Hey Mrs K.  Sonny has to work.”

Sonny frowned at his friend, then turned his attention to his mom.  “The person that was suppose to close for me got hurt.  So we have to hang around for a bit.  What brings you by?”

Adrienne smiled and nodded her head.  “It comes with the territory of being a boss. I was just at Jen’s and I thought I’d stop and get an almond coffee, but make it decafe.”

Sonny turned to make his mom’s drink.  “No problem.  How is Jen?”

Adrienne took out her wallet to pay for her coffee.  “She’s good.  She said to thank you for your help, with the rummage sale.”

Sonny turned around and placed the coffee on the counter.  “It went fast. Will was there too.”

The smile on Adrienne’s face, quickly changed.  “Will?  Anyone else?”

Sonny had seen that face way too often.  “No mom.  It was just Will.  We just put the stuff away and then he left.  I thought you were over him now.”

Adrienne nodded and began to smile again.  “You’re right we did.  Its not like you’re dating him, but I still get uneasy about you spending too much time with him.

Sonny took the money that his mother handed him and began to count out her change. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that.  I don’t think I will be seeing Will Horton anytime soon.  I haven’t even seen him since the day we helped Jennifer.”

Adrienne was very happy to hear that her son had finally seemed to get Will Horton out of his system.  She shook off the change and picked up her coffee to leave.  “Really? Keep the change.  You guys have fun.”

Sonny tried to catch his mom before she left.  “Mom you gave me a 20.”

Tyler laughed.  “That’s one way to slip your kid extra money.”

Sonny sighed and put the money back in the register.  “She always does that and what was with the Mrs K?”

Tyler got up from the stool.  “Kiriakis, takes too much effort to say.  Can we please get out of here?”

Sonny took off his apron.  “Yeah.  Lets go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The club was crowded again.  They were having some special DJs and obviously the crowd was ready for it.  Will had been dancing for about an hour and he hadn’t seen Neil,  which after the last time, Will was grateful.

Will had decided to not get drunk like the first time and after accepting a few beers, he opted to stick with coke.  He was watching the floor from the corner, when two guys joined him.  “Hey.”

Will smiled.  “Hey.”

One of the guys had lighter hair, which obviously had a lot of product to make it stand up the way that it did.  The other had darker hair that was cut really short.  They both were really cute and a little taller than Will.  The blonde leaned over to talk to Will.  “Is this corner taken?”

Will shook his head and stepped to the side a bit.  “No.  Plenty of room.”

The other guy smiled.  “Its so crowded, but I love the guy that’s doing the last set.  He’plays the best music and needless to say, he’s hot.”

Will nodded.  He didn’t know anything about the DJ, he was just there because his mom had kicked him out of the house, which he still didn’t get.  “He must be really good.”

The blonde leaned over again.  “He was here about 6 months ago. I’ve been dying for him to come back.  He plays out of a club in Vegas.”

Will took a drink.  “I wasn’t around 6 month ago.”

The darker haired man began to bounce to the music.  “You missed a party.  I’m Luca and this is Petr.  Do you go to the university?”

Will nodded.  “Yeah.  I’m Will.”

Petr started to move with his friend.  “So do we.  We’re sophomores.”

Luca tapped Petr on the shoulder. “We better try and get closer.  He’s going to be out soon. You want to come with us Will?”

Will thought for a minute.  He was there to have fun and these guys seemed to be there for the same reason.  He finished his drink and put the glass on the nearby table.  “Sure.”

Sonny and Tyler came into the club.  Sonny looked at all the people.  “Its crowded again.”

Tyler didn’t really want to hear his friend’s complaints.  “If we got here at 9, like I wanted to, we could have staked out a good spot on the floor.  The main guy is from Vegas and everyone is going to want to see him.”

Sonny knew that it was his fault that they were late.  He had told his friend that he wanted a good time and that is what he was going to have.  “You’re right.  Since its my fault. I’ll buy the first round.  What do you want?”

Tyler leaned closer to his friend. “I think you should buy the first 2.  You owe me from last time.  I’ll have a Tequila Sunrise.”

Sonny frowned at his friend.  “What happened to beer?”

Tyler smiled and started dancing to the music, as he turned towards the floor.  “That’s when I pay.”

Sonny shook his head and made his way to the bar.”

Luca and Petr, were true to their word.  They had worked their way to the stage, with Will in tow, just as the emcee came out to announce the main performer. “Before we bring out the main attraction.  We are going to need some window dressing so that he feels at home. I’m going to need 3 volunteers.”

Luca and Petr got excited.  Luca pulled Will up closer and started waving his hand.  “Come on up with us.   Maybe he’ll pick the 3 of us.”

Will wasn’t sure what was going on.  He wasn’t as excited as Luca and Petr were.  The emcee scanned the crowd and picked one guy.  Petr was disappointed.  “He needs to come over here.”

The emcee continued to look around and pulled another guy on the stage.  Will was watching as the guy went up.  He had to admit that it was pretty exciting, then the emcee came over to their side of the stage.  Luca and Petr, were still trying to get his attention and the emcee pointed in their direction.  “You. You are the final accessory.”

Will looked around, thinking that he was pointing at someone behind him, but then Luca and Petr grabbed his arms and started pushing him forward.  “Yeah, you get to go up.”

Will was shocked.  “What me?”

The emcee held out his hand to help Will up. “Come on.  You’re a cutie.  Let’s hear it for our boys.”

The crowd went crazy.  The emcee walked among the three men rubbing their shoulders and encouraging the crowd.  “We aren’t in Vegas, but we can pretend.  Lets get you guys shirts off and get you ready for the Vegas stage.”

Will watched as the other guys quickly complied and didn’t want to look stupid, so he followed suit and took his shirt off.  Just as the emcee made his way over to him.  He draped a purple

boa over his shoulders. “How do they look?”

The crowded let out a roar again and the emcee introduced the DJ and the crowd began jumping up and down.  Tyler was trying to see, but was blocked from most of it, when Sonny tapped him on the shoulder.  “Here’s your drink.  I brought you two, because I don’t want to go back to the bar any time soon.”

Tyler turned to get his drink.  “How am I suppose to dance when I’m holding 2 drinks?”

Sonny took a sip of his beer.  “If you got beer it would be easy.”

Tyler wasn’t amused.  “Very funny.”

Sonny looked around them and try to help his friend.  “You can dance over here.  This place is so crowded, you can barely move anyway.”

Tyler held one of his drinks out for his friend.  “I’ve got a better idea. Hold this.   want to see this guy.”

Sonny took the drink from his friend and watched as he took the straw out and proceeded to chug the other one.  “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

Tyler put down the empty glass on the nearest table he could find.  He took the other from Sonny and then turned around and headed towards the crowd.  “I don’t care.  I don’t want to waste it.  Lets see if we can get closer to the stage.  I want some hotties.”

Sonny grabbed his friend, to keep him from leaving.  “They don’t want you.  They want the dancers on the stage.”

Tyler stopped and turned to his friend.  “There are 3 guys on the stage, that eveyone is trying to get a piece of, only 1 maybe 2...okay 3, even have a chance, assuming the guy isn’t here with someone.  The rest are left disappointed and free for the picking.  Now come on.”

Sonny shook his head, as he tried to keep up with his friend as he made it through the crowd.”

Will was uncomfortable at first.  He loved to dance, but he wasn’t used to people watching him as he did it.  Luca and Petr were trying to encourage him.  “Come on Will.  Show them what you’ve got.”

Will decided to turn his back to the crowd and try not to think about them.  He got a glimpse of the DJ, who gave him a smile and then transitioned into a song that he thought might help Will get into the music.  The constant beat helped, but with the pounding of the music, the DJ layered LMFAO’s “Sexy And I Know It.” on top.    Will started repeating the phase in his head and began to not think so much about being on the stage.  

Sonny and Tyler had finally made it to the right side of the stage and were entertained, by the guy in front of them.  Then Sonny heard Luca and Petr as they continued to encourage Will.  “Turn around Will.”

Will had finally gotten up enough courage to turn back to the crowd and the section in front of him went wild.  Sonny looked on in shock as he recognized the face of the dancer.  Tyler noticed him and then looked to see what had his friend’s attention.  “Holy fuck.”

Just then Will noticed Sonny in the crowd and stopped.  He stepped in Sonny’s direction and Sonny turned and began to make his way through the crowd.  Will made his way to the edge and jumped off.  “Sonny wait.”

Luca was holding Will’s shirt. He rushed over to him and handed it to him.  “You might want this.  You were really hot by the way.”

Will thanked his new friend and then tried to make it to the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny made it out to the street, he looked for his car, but then remembered that Tyler had drove.  “Fuck.”

He started towards the coffee house.  He wasn’t sure what had just happened.  Why would  Will be at that club and why would he be on stage dancing?  What was going on with him?  Sonny’s mind was racing.   All he knew was that he had to get home.

Will finally made it out of the club.  He slipped his shirt on and started buttoning it up, as he looked for Sonny.  He didn’t see his car anywhere as he looked through the parking lot. “Where in the hell did you go Sonny.  You need to let me explain.”

While he was trying to figure out what to do, he saw a figure walking down the street.  He started after it.   “Sonny!”

Sonny kept walking.  He was lost in his thoughts and didn’t notice the figure running behind him.  Tears started to form in his eyes.  “I can’t believe he lied to me.”

Will finally got in ear shot of Sonny.  “Sonny, please wait.  I need to talk to you. Sonny!  Sonny!”

Sonny thought that he heard his name and stopped. He had forgotten all about Tyler.  He turned around and saw Will, then turned back and kept walking.  “I don’t want to talk to you Will.”

Will caught up with Sonny and grabbed his arm.  He pulled him back towards him and turned him around.  “Sonny I can explain.”

Sonny was angry with Will and he was even more angry with himself.  “Explain what? That you lied to me for months.  I thought we were friends.”

Will held onto Sonny’s arms, to try and keep him from walking away.  “I had to...”

Sonny used his hand to tear himself away from Will. He glared at him.  His greek blood reaching a boil. “You had to?  I told you things l never told anyone and you just sat there and let me."

Will didn't know what to say.  "I told you things."

Sonny had had enough. "You didn't tell me the one thing that mattered."

Will watched as Sonny turned and left. He let out a deep breath, then turned and ran back to get his car. "I've got to make you listen to me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny made it back to his apartment and put his key in the door. Will came running down the hall. "Sonny please let me explain.”

Sonny stood up and turned to face Will. "I don't want to talk to you any more."

Will reached over and grabbed Sonny's hand, as he turned to open the door. "We need to."

Sonny tried to get Will's hand out of the way   "I have nothing to say to you Will. You need to leave."

Sonny's neighbor was an elderly lady. She heard the boys talking and peeked out the door. "Everything okay Sonny?"

Sonny didn't want his neighbor listening to him and  Will bittering in the hall. "Everything's fine Mrs Riley. Will was just about to leave."

Mrs Riley closed the door.  "Okay then.  I  just wanted to make sure that you were okay.”

Will didn’t let go of Sonny’s hand.  “I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me.”

Sonny didn’t want to talk to Will, but he didn’t seem like he was going to go.  Since he didn’t want his neighbor calling the cops, he did the only thing that he could.  “Fine  You have 2 minutes.”

Will watched as Sonny opened the door and stepped aside for him to walk in.  “Thank you.”

Sonny followed Will in and closed the door.   He leaned against the door and pulled out his phone and looked at it.  “Don’t thank me. You’re wasting precious seconds.”

Will wanted to explain, but Sonny wasn’t letting him have enough time to get his thoughts together. “You act like this is all my fault.  I don’t even know why you care if I’m gay.”

Sonny took his eye off the stopwatch on his phone.  “What do you mean I don’t care.  Of course I care.  Why do you think I spend time around you?”

Will had wondered that too.  “I don’t know.  You said you wanted to be friends.”

Sonny nodded.  “Yeah I wanted to be your friend.  I thought that was what you wanted.”

Will shook his head, as he stepped closer to Sonny.  “I never wanted to be your friend.”

Sonny frowned at Will.  He stood his ground as Will stepped closer to him. “I was there.  You  asked me if we could be friends.”

Will stood in front of Sonny. He stared into his eyes.  “You assumed that I wanted to be your friend.  That was never what I wanted.”

Sonny could feel his heart beginning to beat faster.  He looked into Will’s eyes as they stared right at him, holding his gaze and daring him to look away.  He licked his lip.  “What do you want from me Will?”

Will didn’t think words could convey, all that he wanted.   So he did the only thing he could think of.  “This.”

Sonny stood there, as Will pressed him against the door and kissed him.


	10. Work It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny and Will want to be together, but Sonny has reservations. While a friend almost ruins things before they can start.

Sonny was taken off guard for a second.  He enjoyed what was happening, but when his mind caught up with his body, he instinctively pushed Will away. He was still angry, but now he was confused.   “What the hell was that?”

Will stood there staring at Sonny.  He had hoped that the kiss would let him know how he was feeling.  “You wanted me to let you know what I wanted.”

Sonny stepped away from Will and walked around him.  “You want to have sex with me?”

Will shook his head.  He realized that he had done the wrong thing.  He wanted so much more than sex from Sonny.  “No, the day that you thought I wanted to be friends, I really wanted to ask you on a date.”

Sonny frowned at Will. The more he said, the more confused he got.  “A date?  Then why didn’t you just ask me?”

Will looked towards the ground and shrugged.  “I don’t know. I figured you didn’t like me.”

Sonny began to calm a bit.  He had liked Will from the moment he met him.  “Why would you think that?”

Will finally looked up at Sonny.  “The day I first came into the coffee house, Adrienne came in...”

Sonny nodded.  “Yeah, my mother.”

Will acknowledged what Sonny had said by nodding. “I didn’t know that at the time.  Your mother and my mother have never gotten along and eventhough she seemed nice enough to me, I could tell that she was just being polite.”

Sonny closed his eyes briefly, as he remember the conversation.  “I thought we went over this.”

Will nodded and began to pace a bit, as he continued to go over his thought patterns of that day.  “Yeah I know and I believed you when you said that you made your own decisions and I thought that you decided that hanging out was fine, but more than that would be asking too much.”

Sonny stepped closer to Will. “Will, you should have asked.”

Will looked up at Sonny, he could see the pained looked on his face. “I might have, but you always seemed to keep a distance between us and then there was Brian.”

Sonny turned from Will.  Now he was the one that needed to explain himself.  “Will I thought you were straight.”

Will stepped closer to Sonny.  “I never said that I was.  You just assumed.”

Sonny thought for a minute and then turned back around.  “Yeah I guess I did, but you didn’t make me think otherwise. I saw you laughing with Gabi.”

Will nodded. “Yeah I did. She’s my friend and I told you that.”

Sonny didn’t think that the blame was all on him.  “You said that you would never be interested in Gabi Hernandez, you could have told me then.”

Will let out a sigh.  “I didn’t think it mattered.”

Sonny walked away.  “Whether you were interested in me or not, we were suppose to be friends.  You should have told me.”

Will became frustrated.  He raised his voice.  ‘“I told you that I couldn’t.”

Sonny, was getting just as frustrated.  Will kept telling him that he wanted to, but yet he couldn’t.  He stepped closer to Will and point at him.  “You say that you couldn’t. Just admit it, that you just didn’t want to.  This isn’t my fault, its yours.  If you really cared about me you would have said something.”

Will tried to answer, but Sonny just walked away.  “I’m tired of this.  I’ve given you more than enough time to explain and we’re just going around in circles. I just don’t see why you felt the need to hide the fact that you’re gay.”

Will let out a sigh.  It seemed that Sonny wasn’t going to listen to him, but he went ahead and told him anyway.  “I wanted to come out to my parents first.”

Sonny slowly turned to look at Will.  “Your parents didn't know?”

Will shook his head.  “No one did.  I wasn’t sure how to tell them and my dad was half way around the world.  I finally told them and was going to tell you tonight, but when I stopped  by to ask you  if you were free, you were making plans with Brian.”

Sonny felt like the biggest jerk in the world.  “Brian.”

Will nodded.  “Yeah Brian. The guy I saw you walking arm in arm through HTS with.”

Sonny frowned at Will.  “You saw us. It wasn’t what you think.”

Will didn’t want Sonny to think that he was a fool.  “Wasn’t what I thought?  You two couldn’t keep your hands off each other.”

Sonny was ashamed of how he was that night, but it didn’t give Will any reason to be mad at him for it.  He could do whatever he wanted.  “I was out on a date, which you didn’t have the nerve to ask me on.  But if you have to know, I was drunk and he was helping me home.”

Will turned away from Sonny.  “Yeah I can image.”

Sonny walked up and put his hand on Will’s shoulder to get him to turn around.  “What are you trying to say?”

Will turned to face Sonny, as he crossed his arms over his chest.  “You told me all about how you were in Europe.  Remember?”

Sonny stepped back.  He couldn’t believe that Will would say something so hurtful.  “Yeah I remember and I also remember telling you that wasn’t what I wanted.  Maybe you should go.”

Will realized that he had let his jealousy and hurt make him say the wrong thing.  He walked up to Sonny as he turned away from him.  “I’m sorry.  I never should have said that.  I saw you with him and I got jealous.  I wished it was me.”

Sonny didn’t turn back around. “Now we’re back to the sex.”

Will had messed everything up.  “No.  I told you that I wanted more too.”

Sonny turned around.  “...and that is why you started clubbing?”

Will didn’t deny it.  “Yeah, it is.  Tonight wasn’t the first time I was there.  I even tried to hook up with a guy...”

Sonny didn’t really want to hear what Will was saying.  He put up his hand to stop him.   “You really don’t have to tell me.”

Will understood. “I know, but you need to hear this.  Nothing happened because I couldn’t get you outta my head.  I really like you Sonny.”

Sonny stared at Will. With the arguing that they had been doing, that was the one thing that they could agree on.  “Me either.”

Will and Sonny stared at each other for a second and neither could deny what they both wanted at that moment.  They both stepped into each others arms and  kissed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will had never felt anything so amazing in his life.  He had kissed Sonny just moments before, but that was forced.  This was like floating on a cloud.  Sonny’s lips were soft and his arms wrapped around him and held him close, so close that if felt as if Will was being pulled into him.  His arms had wrapped around Sonny’s shoulders and as the kiss continued, he moved one hand up to rest in Sonny’s hair.

Sonny had been drawn to other men before, but this was nothing like that.  After their fight,  he had felt raw and exposed, but now in Will’s arms, he felt whole again.  He pulled him in close and felt Will’s hand, as it moved to his head pulling him in deeper.  Will’s lips, were how he always imagined them, when he would see him lick them, whenever he was nervous, moist and soft.  He wanted more, as he brought both of his hands up to the side of Will’s face to pull him in even more.

Will pulled back to get air, causing Sonny to whimper, wanting him to return.  Will was breathing hard.  He wanted nothing more than to kiss him again, but instead he just looked at Sonny.  

Sonny’s eyes slowly opened, when he realized that Will wasn’t going to return.  He saw him staring at him.  A shy smile came across his face.  “What’s wrong.”

Will gently shook his head, he was very serious.  “Nothing.  Its just that you’re so beautiful.”

Sonny ran his hand along the side of Will’s face.  “Then why did you stop?”

Will didn’t want to stop.  He never wanted to stop.  He had never wanted anything more in his life.  “I’ve never been with anyone before.”

Sonny nodded and stepped back.  He remembered his first time.  How excited, he was, but yet scared at the same time.  “We won't do anything that you aren’t ready for.”

Will quickly stepped closer to Sonny to make up the space that he had made.  “Its not that I’m not ready, its more that I don’t want to disappoint.”

Sonny put his hand on the side of Will’s face and kissed him. “You will never disappoint me.  We’ll take it slow.”

Will’s heart again began to beat faster.  “I’m not sure if I can.”

Sonny began to undo Will’s shirt.  “I’m not sure either.”

Will grabbed Sonny by the face and again began to kiss him.  Going slow was obviously out of the question, because as Sonny got his shirt undone and placed his hands on his chest, Will pulled back.  “I can’t do this.”

Sonny was concerned.  “Its okay.  I told you that we won't do anything that you aren’t ready for.  We can just talk.”

Will put his hand over Sonny’s as he felt it start to pull away from him.  “You’re getting me wrong.  I want this more than you will ever know, but when you touch me like this, its too much.”

Sonny smiled, leaving his one hand under Will’s, he moved the other to the button on Will’s jeans.  “Is that all?”

Will watched, as Sonny kissed him gently and then lowered himself to the ground, kissing his neck, then his chest.  He then continued down his stomach, until he was on his knees.  “You don’t have to do that.”

Sonny rested his chin on the zipper of Will’s jeans, as he slowly pulled it down. “I know, but I want to.”

Will watched as Sonny pulled his pants apart and slid them down on his hips, along with his underwear.  He then freed his member and began to stroke it, causing Will to moan. “Oh God Sonny.”

Sonny wasn’t really listening to Will, he could smell his  scent the minute he undid his pants and when he pulled Will’s cock from his underwear, it throbbed in his head, letting him know how close he already was.  He licked up the shaft and couldn’t wait to have it in his mouth, Will obviously wanted the same thing, as he grabbed Sonny’s head with both hands and pushed forward into his mouth.  

Will wished that he had lasted longer, but given that Sonny’s touch almost made him cum, the warmth of his mouth wrapped around him, was too much.  He crumbled to his knees and pulled Sonny towards him.  “You’re amazing.”

Sonny pulled back and kissed Will softly.  “So are you.”

Will leaned in to kiss Sonny again, but Sonny pulled back and got up.  Will watched, as he walked over to the door.  “What’s wrong?”

Sonny stood at the door and thought.  “I think you should go.”

Will stood up and pulled his pants back to his waist.  They were still unzipped.  “Why?  What did I do wrong.”

Sonny turned to Will, he could see that he was hurting him, but he felt that this was the right thing to do.  “I want nothing more than to be with you right now, but I think we can have something really good, but …”

Will walked over closer to Sonny.  “...but what?”

Looking at Will made Sonny want to change his mind, so he closed his eyes and looked away. “I don’t want you to idolize me Will.  I’m not perfect.”

Will nodded.  He knew that Sonny wasn’t perfect.  “I know.  If this is because I said you are amazing?  That doesn’t mean that I think you are perfect.”

Sonny finally looked at Will.  “Look Will, I’ve been there and the first person that you are with,  is really important.  It means so much, but yet, it rarely last.”

Will frowned.  “You think that what I feel for you won’t last?”

Sonny stayed near the door. “I don’t know, but I can see you at some point wondering what else is out there.  It comes with the territory.”

Will stepped closer to Sonny and grabbed him by the arms.  “I don’t want to know what’s out there.  I want you.”

Sonny opened the door.  “You do now.  I care too much to lose you like that.”

Will stood there and looked at sonny. “So that’s it.  You’re just going to  let me go.”

Sonny put his hand on the side of Will’s face. “I don’t want to.  I think its best.”

Will couldn’t believe what Sonny was saying.  “Better for me or better for you?”

Sonny stepped closer to Will and reached for his arm, but Will stepped away.  “Will, I just want us to be sure.”

Will shook his head and walked out.  “I am sure.”

Sonny walked out the door behind Will.  Mrs Riley opened her door.  Are you still okay Sonny.”

Sonny looked at Mrs Riley, then turned and went back into his apartment and closed the door.  He leaned his head back and thought about what he did. “I may never be right again.  What did I just do?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will wandered the street, then finally went home.  He went into his room and fell on his bed.  He couldn’t understand why Sonny didn’t want to be with him.  Tears started running down his face.   “How can he think that what I feel is just going to go away?”

Will got up and walked over to his dresser to get pajamas.  He stared at himself in the mirror and shook his head.  He was back where he was several hours ago.  “Sonny doesn’t want me.”

He went to the bathroom and got ready for bed.  Just after he left, his phone rang.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny held his cell to his ear.  “Come on Will pick up.”

The phone went to voicemail and he left a message. “Will, I’m so sorry.  Please call me when you get this message.”

Sonny took the phone from his ear and stared at Will’s picture.  “I know what I did was right, but why does it hurt so much?”

He got up to get ready for bed.  He should have explained to him, but Will had already brought his past up.  Sonny knew that it affected him and he didn’t want that to hurt what they might have.  

Sonny turned out the light in the bathroom and went and climbed into bed.  He looked at the ceiling with his arms tucked under his head.  “He’s been away and he’s just come out.  He barely knows what a relationship is?  I know that I was right.  I’ve just got to figure out a way to make him understand”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will woke up to his mother’s voice.  “Will is almost noon.  Are you going to sleep all day?”

He rolled over and looked at his clock, then shot straight up in bed.  “Holy fuc...I'm late for my meeting.”

He had a 12:00 meeting with some people from class to do a project for Communications. He ran to the bathroom and quickly brushed his teeth, the grabbed some jeans and a t-shirt and head out the door."

Sami saw him come out of his room.  “What’s the rush?  Did you have fun last night?”

Will grabbed his books and headed for the door. “It was fine.  I’m late for a meeting.”

Sami frowned, when her son slammed the door as he left. “What’s wrong with him?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny hadn’t slept any better.  He kept hoping that Will would call him back, but he never did.  He wanted to go see him, when he first woke up, but because Sarah had hurt herself, he had to be at the coffee shop early.  

The morning rush had finally slowed and he decided to go to his apartment.  He knocked on the door and Sami opened it.  “Hello Ms Brady.  Is Will home?”

Sami smiled at Sonny.  She knew that he and Will were friends, but they never really talked.  She wondered if he knew what was wrong with her son.  “No he’s not, but can you come in?  I’d like to talk to you.”

Sonny was worried.  What had Will told his mother that she wanted to talk to him.  “Um...Sure.”

Sonny walked in and Sami closed the door behind him.  “I know that Will went out last night, but I was asleep when he came in.  I didn’t get to talk to him, because he ran out of here too fast.”

Sonny was confused.   “I’m not sure what you’re talking about?”

Sami gave Sonny a nervous smile.  “I’m sorry Sonny, I’m not good at this.  You’re gay and Will just came out. You did know that he’s gay right?”

Sonny didn’t think it was necessary to tell Will’s mother that he had just found out.  She seemed nervous enough already.  So he smiled. “Yeah, I knew.”

That helped Sami a bit.  “You’ve been out for a while right?”

Sonny nodded, not knowing where Will’s mother was going with all this..  “Yeah, but everyone is different.  Everyone has their own process.”

Sami bit her lip.  She really was uncomfortable about all of it.  “I know, but still you’ve been there. He seems okay and everything, but he seems distant.  Not that he and I have ever been really close.   Still I was just wondering, since you’re friends and all, if you could kind of look out for him.”

Sonny felt terrible.  Here Sami was, asking him to take care of her son and the night before, he almost had sex with him.  Hell, he still wanted to have sex with him, but he was glad that he stopped.  Sami was right, Will was new to this and to some degree, he did need to be protected.  “Sure.  I’ll watch out for him.”

Sami was happy.  She walked over to the door to let Sonny out.  “Thanks so much Sonny and if I see Will, I’ll tell him that you’re looking for him.”

Sonny made his way to the door. “Thanks.  I’ll see you around.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will had made it to his group in time and they finished their project.  He  was sitting in HTS, when a familiar voice called his name.  “Hey Will.”

Will looked up and saw Neil staring down at him.   How could things get any worse.  “Neil? Hey. How have you been?”

Neil pointed to the chair beside Will. “Fine. You mind if I sit?”

Will grabbed his bag from the chair.  “No...no.  Have a seat.”

Neil took off his bag and sat in the seat next to Will.  “I wanted to apologize about the other night.  I shouldn’t have gotten so mad.”

Will couldn’t believe that Neil was apologizing to him.  He understood perfectly why he was mad.  “There is no reason for you to apologize.  I can understand why you got mad.  I was an idiot for doing what I did.  I would have done the same thing.”

Neil smiled at Will and nodded.  “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never had that happen to me before, but you said that you just came out and I should be a little more understanding.  Its just that you’re hot and I really wanted to be with you.  It was a blow to my ego.”

Will smiled at Neil.  Did he just call him hot?  “You think I’m hot.”

Neil laughed softly.  “Even more so in the daylight.”

Will laughed nervously.  Was he coming on to him again?  “You’re not bad yourself.”

Neil patted Will’s hand and got up.   “Thanks.  I really would like to hook up with you, but I think we should wait until you’re over whoever this Sonny guy is.”

Will got up to say goodbye to Neil.  “Thanks for understanding.”

Neil leaned over and kissed Will on the cheek and whispered in his ear.  “I’m not really. I just didn’t want to blow a chance with you.”

Sonny came walking up and saw Neil leaned in to Will and Will with a big smile on his face.  “That didn’t take long.”

He took in a deep breath and let it out, before going over. Neil stood up and Will smiled.  Neil was hot, but he had to admit, that he scared the living daylights out of him.  The idea of jumping in bed with a guy he didn't know, all of a sudden didn’t seem like a bright idea.  The liquor was obviously making his body overrule his head, with that one.  “Maybe another time.”

Neil smiled, as Sonny walked up.  “Another time?”

Will was shocked when he saw Sonny walk up.  “What are you doing here?”

Sonny walked over and stood next to Will. “I was looking for you.”

Will frowned at Sonny.  Why would he be looking for him, when just the other night, he had basically kicked him out of his apartment.  “Oh.  I didn’t know.  Neil, this is Sonny.  Sonny this is Neil.”

Sonny held out his hand. “Hi.”

Neil smiled at Sonny and shook his hand.  “Hellooo Sonny.”

Sonny frowned at Neil.  “Hey.”

Neil leaned over and whispered in Will’s ear.  “Go get him tiger.”

Wll turned 5 shades of red and laughed.  “I’ll see you around Neil.”

Sonny watched as Neil walked off, then turned back to Will. “Where do you know him from?”

Will thought that maybe Sonny had changed his mind.  He realized that he hadn’t and started to walk off.  “Why do you care?”

Sonny grabbed Will by the arm to keep him from leaving.  “I’m sorry.  I shouldn’t have asked that.”

Will turned to face Sonny.  “You’re right, you shouldn’t have.  Weren’t you the one that want me to see what else was out there?”

Sonny looked at Will.  His words, made him admit to himself, that was the last thing he wanted.  “I was wrong.”

Will didn’t want to get his hopes up.  “Wrong about what?”

Sonny wanted Will to be sure that he really wanted to be with him, but seeing him with another man, made him want to be selfish. “About you making sure you want me.”

Will smiled.  “You were jealous.”

Sonny hated to admit it.  He crossed his arms in front of himself. “What if I was?”

Will stepped closer to Sonny.   “I would think it was adorable. So what does this mean?”

Sonny still was scared.  This was the first time that he actually got to  know a guy, before he dated him. “I’m not sure. This is kind of new to me, but I think we need to talk.  I need to get back to the coffee house. Can you meet me there later?”

Will leaned in and kissed Sonny gently.  “I need to go home and apologize to my mom.  I’ll see you later.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrienne had stopped by Jennifer’s to pick up a plate, from the brownies that she had made for the bake sale.  Abby brought the plate from the kitchen.  “Here you go Aunt Adrienne.”

Adrienne took the plate. “Thank you Abby.  I haven’t seen you in a while.  How are things?”

Abby knew that eventhough she and her aunt hadn’t spoke in a while, that she was well aware of how things were, she spoke to her mom all the time. “Things are fine.”

Adrienne smiled, she knew that Abby was dating the DiMera boy.  “How are things with, what’s his name again?”

Abby didn’t really want to talk about him with Adrienne.  “He’s fine. We have never been better.”

Adrienne wasn’t one for holding her tongue.   “Really?  I know your mother was worried.”

Abby had more than enough.  “My mother is worried for no reason.  She’s let me know how she feels, but she can’t tell me who to date or who to love.”

Adrienne wasn’t so sure.  “We’re mothers.  We know how first love can be. I’m the same way with Sonny.”

Abby frowned.  “You’re butting into Sonny’s love life?”

Adrienne shook her head.  "Oh no.  He’s always dated nice guys, but if I see he’s leaning the wrong, I feel as a mother that I should let him know.”

Abby could tell that Adrienne was referring to a specific instance. “Like who?”

Adrienne put back on her coat. “Oh it was nothing.  I just noticed that he was spending time with Will Horton, but it doesn’t matter.  Will isn’t even gay.  I’m just saying that you should  listen to your mother.”

Abby didn’t like Adrienne talking about her cousin.  He had been through a lot in his life and if he got together with Sonny.  She didn’t think that Adrienne had a right to interfere.  “So if he was gay, you wouldn’t approve.”

Adrienne frowned at her niece.  “I know he’s your cousin, but he was in jail. My Sonny deserves better than that.”

Abby had enough. Between her mom and Adrienne, she was tired of  other people trying to run someone else's life.  “Sonny would be lucky to have Will. Will is one of the sweetest man that I know.  I think they would be wonderful together.”

Adrienne had no clue what was wrong with Abby.   “I know that you and your mom have been having troubles and I hope you two work things out.  Sonny and Will aren’t the issue.”

 Abby crossed her arms in front of her. “You never know.”

Adrienne frowned at her niece. “What are you talking about?”

Abby realized that she let her anger get the better of her.  She went to open the door.  “Nothing.  Thanks for coming to get the plate.”

Adrienne eyed her niece as she walked out the door.  “No problem.”

Abby smiled as Adrienne left.  She closed the door and leaned on it.  “That was close.  Thank goodness you two aren’t together.”

Adrienne frowned at the door, after Abby closed it.   “What the heck was that about?”


	11. Taking It Slow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny and Will go on an adventure and Will realizes, that Sonny was right about their relationship. While Sonny's mother is still determined to protect the people she loves from the scum of the world, which becomes even more important, when she overhears shocking information.

Will had gone home and explained to his mother about his meeting and then went to take a shower.  He was excited. Sonny wanted to see him.  He turned the water on in the shower, then turned and looked at himself in the mirror. He checked his image. “Maybe a quick shave.”

Will shaved and then stepped into the shower. Sonny wanted to talk, but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to talk about.  He felt like he knew everything about him.  How he traveled in Europe and came back to Salem to settle down.

He was smart and caring and gentle.  “Boy was he gentle.”

Will remembered back to the previous night and how Sonny had gone down on him, as he moved the soap over his body.   “Mmmmmm”

Before long he was lost in his thoughts.  Thoughts of Sonny:

_Sonny kissed up Will’s stomach, as he got to his feet.  He held firmly to his cock, as he continued to stroke it.  “You taste so good, but I want more.”_

_Will continued to stand in the shower, his eyes closed.  His body exposed, so that Sonny could have his way.  “You feel sooo good.”_

_Sonny continued kissing Will's body.  He made his way to Will’s nipple, it was hard and he encircled it with his tongue before gently tugging it with his lips, to suck it.   He then moved to the other and gave it his attention .  Will felt his legs start to shake.   He knew that he couldn’t take much more.  He grabbed Sonny’s head and pulled it up to him.  “I want you so bad.”_

_Sonny smashed his lips against Will’s to show him that he wanted him just as much.  Will opened his mouth and Sonny entered with his tongue, to search out Will’s.  He grabbed Will’s hands, that were still resting on his face and raised them above his head. He then pulled back. Will's mouth hung open as he tried to catch his breath. He looked into Sonny’s hungry eyes. “Why did you stop?”_

Just then his mother’s voice broke through his thoughts. “Will did you hear me?   I’ve got to go out.”

Will wiped the water from his face.  It seemed like he was never going to be with Sonny.   He yelled back to his mother. “Okay.”

Will finished his shower, then went to get dressed, so that he could meet up with Sonny.  Hoping that he would finally be able to finish the dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrienne came into the coffee house. She smiled when she saw her son taking care of a customer. Sonny saw her and when he was done, he walked over to the counter to meet her.  He couldn’t help but smile himself.   “What are you smiling about?”

Adrienne put her purse on the counter and sat down.  “I like seeing you work.  It obviously makes you happy.”

Sonny nodded. “It does.  I’m really glad I opened the shop.  It gives me a chance to make others happy and to meet some amazing people.”

Adrienne agreed.  “That’s what I’ve always hoped for you.  You are a great guy and I want you to be with people that are worthy of you.”

Sonny frowned at his mother. Did she really say that?  “Worthy of me? Are you talking about Will again?”

Adrienne shook her head.  “For once no.  I’m talking about Abby’s boyfriend. Chad DiMera.”

Sonny reached under the counter and pulled out a cloth to clean.  “Come on mom. He’s only a DiMera by name.”

Adrienne didn’t agree.  “Maybe now, but Stefano has a way of pulling his children into the fold. Eventually he’s not going to be any better than the rest of them.”

Sonny threw his cloth on the counter.  “You ARE talking about Will.  More of that guilt by association crap.”

Adrienne didn’t like Sonny’s tone.  “Sonny we are in a public place and I am your mother.”

Sonny shook his head.  “No you’re not.  My mother isn’t a nosy busybody, going around gossiping about people.  This is beneath you mom.  Chad is Abby’s boyfriend and he’s good to her and they love each other.  Going around talking about someone that a person loves, doesn’t do anything, but push them away.  You should tell Abby’s mom that too or she might end up losing her.”

Adrienne eyed her son.  There was something off about what he was saying. “Are you sure we are talking about Jennifer and Abby?”

Sonny went back to cleaning the counter. “Yeah...sure.  Who else would I be talking about?”

Adrienne continued to look at her son suspiciously.  “Okay fine.  Can you give me my usual to go?”

Sonny made his mother’s drink, then kissed her on her cheek before she left.  “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Adrienne picked up her coffee and left.  “Okay.  You could come by for dinner.”

Sonny watched as the door closed behind her. He was not going to let his mother ruin, what was starting between him and Will. “Not until you change your attitude.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will saw Adrienne talking to Sonny when he came up to the coffee house.  He decided that since he and Sonny hadn’t worked things out yet, that he didn’t want to meet up with her.  He wasn’t sure what Sonny wanted to talk about and he didn’t want her to throw off the confidence he had, after seeing Sonny jealous about Neil.  

He decided to go in a nearby shop and watch for her to leave, which she just had, so he made his way to see Sonny.

Sonny was talking to one of the barista’s when Will came in.  He smiled at Will over her shoulder.  “So call me if there’s a problem.  Hey Will.”

Will pushed his hands into his pockets.  “Call you?  Are you going somewhere?  I thought you wanted to talk.”

Sonny patted Will’s arm to reassure him.  “We are, but I don’t want to do it here.”

Will was confused, but happy.  He loved the coffee house, but he didn’t really want to have to share him with his employees.  “Okay, that sounds good to me.  Where are we going?”

Sonny took off his apron and grabbed his coat.  He smiled at Will, as he opened the door.  “Do you trust me?”

Will frowned at Sonny, as he followed him out of the coffee house.  “Normally, I’d say yes, but right now I’m not sure.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny made small talk as they drove.  He told him about the barista that had hurt her hand.  He wasn’t surprised, because when he first opened the shop, it seemed like he always  had some kind of burn or cut.  

Will wasn’t completely listening. He tried to pay attention to the major points, not much different than when he was in class.  He was more curious about where they were going. 

They didn’t go far, it was just outside of Chicago.  A town called Oglesby.  Sonny turned down a road and a sign on the side said “Starved Rock”.  Will looked at Sonny.  “Why are we here?”

 Sonny pulled into a parking spot.  “I like to hike and its a nice fall day.  I thought we could walk around and talk a bit. It’s really peaceful here.”

 Will didn’t mind hiking, as long as there was no climbing.  “We’re just hiking, right?  I know there are some pretty high areas.  My class came her once, when I was in middle school.”

 Sonny seemed disappointed.  “Darn, I thought I was bringing you someplace new.”  

 Will looked around.  He wasn't paying much attention to Sonny's attempt at a joke.  “I can’t say that I liked it much.

 Sonny held out his hand.  “Maybe you’ll like it better this time.”

 Will hesitated for a little while, then finally took Sonny’s hand.  “Maybe…

 Will and Sonny walked over to a lower area, where a sign indicated that there were falls.  Will didn’t mind that, it was pretty flat and the falls were above them.  “This is nice.”

 Sonny found a long tree branch and picked it up and used it as a walking stick.  “It is.  Its nothing like Switzerland, it has some beautiful ones.  Did you go and see any?”

 Will walked around the base of the lake at the bottom of the falls. “No.  I told you that I don’t like high places.  I stayed in the city and as far away from the mountains as I could.”

 Sonny started to take the path under the falls.  “Seems like a waste.  It was Switzerland.  I couldn’t imagine going there and not doing some hiking.”

 Will made sure of the footing, before following Sonny.  “Its not like I went there on vacation.”

Being with Will like this, Sonny didn’t think about his past and what he had done.  He stepped down into a crevice, that was in the middle of the largest part of the falls. “Yeah sorry.  I forgot about that.  Watch your step.”

Will stood there for a second and looked down at Sonny.  “How are we suppose to get out of here?   Do we have to climb back out?”

Sonny held out his hand.  “No. If we go around, there’s a slope, that leads us back out.  Just jump I’ll catch you.”

Will looked at Sonny.  He was obviously in his element, while he was completely out of his.  “Yeah right.”

He didn’t like the idea of jumping, so he tried to step down, but he slipped and fell forward, running into Sonny and knocking him off balance. Luckily there was a wall behind him.  He caught Will and the both collided with the wall.  Sonny held Will tight.  “I got ya.  You alright?”

Will was breathing hard.  “I think so.  Thanks for catching me.”

Sonny smiled and kissed Will.  The pounding waterfall hiding them from the outside world.  “I’ll always catch you.”

Will wrapped his arms around Sonny’s neck, to pull him in closer, then let him go and stood in front of him. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

Sonny turned to continue up the path.   “Then I guess we should keep going then.”

Will watched Sonny, as he made his way up the trial and then began to follow him.  

They held hands as they made their way back towards the car  The sun was starting to set and Sonny pointed up the road.  “What do you say we go up to the inn and have dinner?

Will was relieved.  “That’s sounds great.  I thought you were going to take me up one of the higher trails.”

Sonny lead Will back to the car. “Maybe another time.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When they arrived at the restaurant at the inn, Will and Sonny were taken to their table. It was near a window, looking out over the trails.  Sonny wasn’t sure if Will would like it.  “Could we have one of those tables.”

The waitress was about to pick up the menus, when Will stopped her.  “I like this one.  We can look out at the sun going down.”

Sonny smiled and the waitress put the menus back down.  “We’re making progress.  I wouldn’t think you would feel comfortable here.”

Will picked up his menu and looked through it.  “I’ve got you, so I’m fine and I just won't look out.”

Sonny laughed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny was driving back to Salem.  They had a leisurely dinner and talked about nothing and yet talked about everything. Will reached over and ran his hand up Sonny’s leg.  “Thank you.”

Sonny glanced over at Will and smiled, as he rested his hand on Will’s. “For what?”

Will could barely see Sonny in the dim light of the car, but his smile was evident and warmed his heart.  “For not rushing.  I didn’t understand the other day, but now I get it.”

Sonny’s smile faded.  “You do?”

Will nodded.  “Being away, I missed a lot and when I got back , I wanted to make up for the time that I missed.  Start school and come out and just live my life, like nothing happened, but I can’t do that.  I have to just take it as it comes.  Like climbing under that waterfall.  I tried to rush it and I fell.”

Sonny patted Will’s hand.  “...but I caught you.”

Will smiled and squeezed Sonny’s hand.  “Yeah you did.  I do trust you.”

Sonny pulled Will’s hand to his lips and kissed it.  “...and I trust you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been a few days since their little trip to Starved Rock.   Will was floating on a cloud. The man that had warmed his heart with his smile and his coffee, was now his boyfriend.  He loved the word.  His mother noticed the obvious difference and so he told her and she was happy for him.  He didn’t tell her who it was, because he and Sonny hadn’t talked about that yet.  

Abby had told Will that she had notes from a philosophy class that he was taking. She met him at the private area behind the square to get them.  Abby met him with a smile. “Someone is happy.”

Will didn’t try and hide it. He didn’t think that he could if he tried.  Besides, he knew that his cousin only wanted the best for him.  “I am.  Sonny and I are dating.”

Abby almost dropped the coffee she was carrying.  “When?”

Will sat down on the bench.  “Not that long. We both liked each other for a while, but there was a big misunderstanding and…..it doesn’t matter.  He’s so great.”

Abby was happy for her cousin, but she knew how Adrienne was, when she stopped by her house.  “Did you guys tell your parents?”

Will got serious.   “I did sort of, but I didn’t tell her who.  Sonny and I haven’t really talked about our parents yet.  She’s still really happy.”

Abby didn’t want to spoil her cousin’s mood.  She hugged him and secretly worried.  “That’s so great. Everything seems to be coming together now that you’ve come out.”

However, someone else might have had other thoughts about Will, as Adrienne took a shortcut to her car.  Abby let go of Will.  Will finally seemed to have his life headed in the right direction.  “Thanks. When I got out of juvenile detention , I was scared to death to tell anyone, but now that I have, it’s like they say, the truth does set you free.  I’m gay and it feels so good to say it and not be ashamed.”

Adrienne quickened her pace to car.  “So Will Horton is gay.  I knew that I needed to keep him away from my son.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After leaving Abby, Will met Sonny at the coffee house.  He leaned over the counter and kissed him.  “Hi.”

Sonny smiled.  “Hi yourself. What have you been up to?”

Will sat back on the stool.  “I met Abby to get those notes I told you about.”

Sonny reached for Will’s hand and after Will placed his inside, Sonny ran his thumb over Will’s fingers.  “I remember.  I was thinking that you could come over and I’d make you dinner.”

Will frowned. “You cook?”

Sonny shrugged.  “I’m no chef, but I can make pasta.  Don’t expect anything fancy.”

Will shook his head.  “I won’t.  I just like the idea of being alone with you.”

Sonny smiled slyly.  “That was my plan.  We can talk some more and whatever.”

Will felt himself start to get warm.  He was more interested in the whatever.  “Talk is nice.  Should I bring something?”

Sonny shook his head and patted Will’s hand, before letting it go.  “Just you’re smiling face.”

Will got up to leave. “All right then.  I’ll see you around 6.”

Sonny turned to get back to work.  “Sounds good.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrienne needed to talk to her son.  She was rushing through HTS, when she literally ran into Sami Brady, who was coming out of a shop, her hands full of bags, which she dropped.  “Why don’t you watch where you’re going?”

Adrienne was upset as it was and Sami Brady was the last person that she wanted to see.  “It wasn’t my fault.  You're the one that came barrelling out the store.”

Sami bent down to pick up her bags.  “I wasn’t barrelling.  I was walking.  You were the one in the rush.  You want to help me pick these up?”

Adrienne rolled her eyes.  “Okay fine.”

Sami tried to be pleasant. “Thanks.  Where were you off to in such a rush?”

Adrienne stood up and handed Sami her bag.  “I was going to the coffee house to see my son.”

Sami took the bag from Adrienne.  She knew that they didn’t get along, but they actually had something in common now.  “Sonny?  He’s a nice kid.  I was telling Will that he should talk  to him.”

Adrienne frowned at Sami. “Talk to Sonny?  Why?”

In spite of being shocked when she first heard, Sami was proud of her son for admitting his feelings.  “You didn’t hear?  Will came out and I thought maybe Sonny could help him with that, but I guess he doesn’t need help now.”

Adrienne wasn’t sure what Sami was talking about. “He doesn’t.  Is he going back to jail?”

Sami wasn’t sure what to make of Adrienne’s statement. She knew that she didn’t like her, but this was Will, she was talking about. He was amazing.  “Jail?  What would make you say that .  Will is a fine young man.”

Adrienne wasn’t so sure.  She smiled at Sami.  “Of course he is.  I’m sorry.  Why did you say that he didn’t need to talk to Sonny anymore?”

Sami was excited.  “He’s found someone and they’ve been dating.  He’s so happy.”

Adrienne was curious.  “That’s great.  When did this happen?”

Sami wasn’t really sure.  “Maybe a few weeks.  I could tell, his mood has changed.  He’s really turned things around since he’s been home.  Now that he’s out, all I wanted was for him to be happy.  You must feel the same way.  Is Sonny seeing someone special?”

Adrienne remembered the way that her son was acting the last time she saw him.  It certainly wasn’t that of a man in love.  “He’s playing the field.  He hasn’t been back long either and the new business, keeps him busy.  Good for Will. Its not easy for someone like him?”

Sami knew that Adrienne didn’t like her. “What do you mean, someone like him?”

Adrienne knew that Sami thought that world revolved around her, but she had to be aware that she and now her son were poison.  “You said it yourself.  He just got out of prison.”

Sami began to get upset.  “It wasn’t prison.  It was juvie.”

Adrienne let out a sigh and shook her head.   “You and I both know that juvie, is just a prison for younger kids and he probably just got that because of his connections at the police department.”

Sami raised her voice.  “Will is a good kid and anyone would be lucky to have him.”

Adrienne refused to stoop to Sami’s level.  She kept her calm demeanor.  “If you say so.  I’m just glad that my son is staying far away from him.”

Sami started to leave, but she figured she’d get in one more dig as she left.  “That’s his loss.”

Adrienne watched Sami as she left. “That’s not how I see it.”

Adrienne decided that she didn’t need to talk to Sonny anymore and decided that maybe she would do some shopping of her own, so she went into the shop.


	12. Things Are Heating Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will arrives at Sonny's for dinner, where things heat up in more ways than one. Meanwhile Adrienne and Sami are heated about their encounter.

Will’s mom was in a foul mood when she got home, but she didn’t want to spoil Will’s evening and didn’t talk about it. Will didn’t want his mom to be upset and didn’t think anything could spoil his mood. He was going to Sonny’s for dinner and he told his mom not to wait up for him when he left.

Sonny opened the door. He was wearing a black wife beater and was obviously flustered. “I’m so sorry. Its like an oven in here and its not from the oven. The heater is busted. I called the landlord, but he can’t come until tomorrow. We can do this then or we can just go out.”

Will walked into Sonny’s place. “No, I’m fine. You sure that this isn’t just an excuse to get me out of my clothes?

Sonny walked over to Will and placed his hands on his hips. You could see the disappointment on his face. “I didn’t think I needed an excuse, but unfortunately, I’m serious.”

Will took Sonny’s face in his hands and kissed him gently. “Its okay. Maybe it will be a little uncomfortable, but its fine.”

Sonny smiled at Will. “You’re amazing. I’ve opened the windows, so that should help cool things down a bit, as the temperature drops. Can I get you something to drink?”

Will didn’t really want things to cool down. He took off his sweater and watch Sonny as he left to go to the kitchen. “I’ll take whatever you’ve got.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne had gotten home and Justin noticed that she had been shopping. “What’s all this?”

Adrienne put the bags on the sofa. “Its cheaper than therapy. I’ve had a terrible day.”

Justin walked over to make his wife a drink. “Have a seat. I’ll make us a drink and we can talk about it.”

Adrienne went to sit on the sofa. “There’s a reason I love you, you know.”

Justin brought Adrienne her drink and sat next to her. “I know. Now what happened?”

Adrienne took a sip. “To start things off I found out that Will Horton is gay.”

Justin was never one to think that anything wasn’t possible. Being a lawyer, he had seen pretty much everything. “Why is that a problem? You do realize that our son is gay.”

Adrienne nodded. Justin obviously wasn’t getting the ramifications of the news. “I know that, but Sonny has been hanging around with him and I don’t want them to get involved.”

Justin sipped from his drink. His wife was always making problems when there weren’t any. “You said that Sonny hadn’t even been hanging around Will. He went out with his friend Tyler the other day.”

Adrienne leaned back. “I know and I’m happy that he has friends like that. Friends from a good family and that stay out of trouble.”

Justin frowned at his wife. “Honey, Will paid for his crime and he’s in school. Everyone deserves a second chance.”

Adrienne sipped her drink. “He can have as many chances as he wants, as long as they are away from my son.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny had finished dinner and brought it out to the table. Turning off the oven helped the apartment cool, but it was still hot, as they sat near the kitchen. Sonny's body had a bit of a glisten, which showed off his muscles in his tank top. Will couldn't help but sneak peeks of Sonny, but Sonny was doing a little peeking of his own, as Will's t-shirt, which was meant to be under his sweater, clung to every muscle. Sonny still felt bad about the heat. "Are you okay? I'm sorry its still pretty hot in here."

Even if there wasn't a problem with the heating, Will probably would be just as warm. Will hadn't eaten much all day, he was nervous about being alone with Sonny. He ate his lasagna. “I'm fine. This is really good. I thought you were going to just make spaghetti, when you said pasta.”

Sonny was glad Will seemed to like his cooking. He took a sip of his ice tea. “I can make a few things. Spaghetti is too easy. I wanted to impress you.”

Will put down his fork. It was sweet that Sonny wanted to impress him. “You don’t have to impress me.”

Sonny put down his glass. “I know. I wanted to.”

Will looked at Sonny’s glass as he put it down. “That’s nice. You know, you didn’t have to drink tea just because of me. My mom drinks wine all the time.”

Sonny shook his head. “Its warm in here. The ice tea is good.”

Will picked up his fork and began to eat. “I just saw the bottles of wine. I know it’s probably weird dating someone underage.”

Sonny reached over and touched Will’s hand. “Its not the age, its how they make you feel. Now stop making it sound like I’m robbing the cradle.”

Will smiled. “I didn’t mean to do that. I just want you to do what you would do normally.”

Sonny got up to get more tea. “I not doing anything I wouldn’t be doing anyway. I’m getting more ice tea. Do you need anything?”

Will put down his fork. “No thanks, I think I’m full. I’m not use to eating like this.”

Sonny came back with his tea and frowned. “You’ve been out for a while. I would think that you would get your appetite back by now.”

Will laughed. “I ate just fine when I was in juvie. Its my mother’s cooking that I was talking about.”

Sonny sat down at the table. He felt bad that he had brought up the time that Will was locked away. “I’m sorry. You probably want to forget about those times.”

Will leaned over the table towards Sonny. “You can ask me anything. I did something bad and I paid for it. Do I wish I could take it back? Yes. Would I have done it again? I think I would have. I was trying to protect my family. I’m not ashamed of that.”

Sonny thought about how his mother talked about Will. “...but what about other people. People who think that you are a bad person for shooting a man.”

Will picked up his napkin and put it on the table. He picked up his chair and moved it next to Sonny and put his arm around him. He was very serious. “I could have stayed in Switzerland. My father wanted to go to jail for me.”

Sonny was shocked. “I didn’t know.”

Will bit his lip and nodded. Thinking of what his father tried to do for him, always got to him. The idea that he would give up his life like that, in a real jail. “I didn’t either. When I told him what I’d done, I was scared, so when he told me to go live with my uncle and aunt, I did it.”

Sonny listened intently. “Carrie and Austin.”

Will nodded and continued. “Then I found out that he was going to take the blame. I couldn’t let him do that. My sister needed him. I had 14 years with him. I had no right to take those from her. So I came back and I took responsibility.

Sonny was completely blown away. He thought back to when he was 14, he didn’t have any of the pressures that Will had, but somehow he turned into this loving man. “Being in juvie had to be hard. I know that its not like regular prison, but there must have been other people there that killed people, but I’m sure they didn’t have a reason like yours.”

Will thought back to the people that he met while he was locked away and shook his head. “Everyone has a story. Some worse than mine. I was lucky though.”

Sonny frowned. “How could you have been lucky?”

Will looked down and played with the arm of Sonny’s chair. “Shooting EJ, most people left me alone, considering I shot a DiMera. There were ones that wanted to make trouble, thinking that taking me out would make them seem important, but EJ put a stop to that.”

Sonny was shocked. “Why would the man that you tried to kill, want to protect you.”

Will shrugged a little. “I think he did love my mother and he knew that if I was hurt, she would never forgive him. So he told people to keep away.”

Sonny put his hand on Will’s face. “I’m so glad. I don’t want to think of someone hurting you.”

Will leaned forward and kissed Sonny gently on the lips. “I’m fine. So can you please stop being so nervous about saying the wrong thing?”

Sonny smiled and nodded. “I’ll try.”

Will took his arm from around Sonny and got up. “Good. Didn’t I see some pie or something back there.”

Sonny giggled and turned to watch Will, as he looked around the kitchen. “I thought you said you were full.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Rafe had stopped by to see Sami and the kids. Johnny had begged him to read their bedtime story and he was just coming back out. Sami was washing dishes and fussing to herself. “Who does she think that she is?”

Rafe walked up and put his arms around Sami’s waist. “You shouldn’t let her get to you like this.”

Sami turned around and put her wet soapy hands on Rafe’s shirt. “You didn’t see her.”

Rafe looked down at his shirt and Sami stepped back. He picked up a towel. “I can imagine, but the important thing is that Will is happy.”

Sami turned back around. “I know. Its just she acted like he was a hardened criminal. I can’t stand people looking down on him. I know she doesn’t like me, but the idea that she could be that way towards Will. He’s a nice kid. Sonny would be lucky to have him.”

Rafe agreed. “He is a nice kid. I think Gabi was crushed when I told her he’s gay. I think she had a little crush on him.”

Sami smiled over her shoulder. “I kind of thought so. I’m sure she’ll find someone nice.”

Rafe leaned on the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “I hope so. I’m happy for Will though. Who is this guy?”

Sami turned off the water and picked up a towel to dry her hands, as she turned around. “He didn’t tell me. I think it's kind of new and he wants to make sure that he's someone worth bringing home to mother. He doesn’t want to scare him off. I’ll find out soon enough. I just hope I get along with his parents.”

Rafe nodded. “That would be nice.”

Sami picked up her wine and went into the living room, Rafe close behind. “Sonny’s nice, but with a mother like Adrienne, it will be a deal breaker. I don’t want a situation like that.”

They both sat on the sofa and Rafe pulled Sami closer to him. “I’m sure you’ll meet him soon enough.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny’s apartment was small. He didn’t have room for a sofa. Everything was in one room. The kitchen was on one side, with a full size table. Another corner held a chair for reading. And then there was the bed. It took up half the room and was the first thing that Will saw when he came into the apartment.

Sonny didn’t want to seem like he was hinting anything by suggesting they sit on the bed. So when Will thought they could watch a movie, Sonny suggest they sit on the floor. 

Sonny threw some pillows down and they leaned against the foot of the bed. It worked for awhile, but about half an hour into the show, Will became uncomfortable. He finally ended up resting his head on Sonny’s shoulder, which was great for him, but didn’t do much for Sonny. “What do you say we lay on our stomachs.”

Will shrugged and flipped around. He grabbed the pillow and put it under his chest. “I might fall asleep like this.”

Sonny bumped up against him with his shoulder. “At least my shoulder won't fall asleep. I can nudge you if you dose off.”

Will rested on his arms. “I might. I thought you said this was funny?”

Sonny frowned at his boyfriend. “I didn’t say it was funny. I said that there were some funny situations. Parts of it are funny.”

Will reached for the DVD case. “I didn’t think the cover looked like a comedy, but the lady is smiling.”

Sonny took the case from Will. “Technically it is a comedy. Its probably better on the big screen. Some of the scenes are really pretty of the countryside.”

Will wasn’t impressed. “I wanted a comedy.’

Sonny threw the case back over to the tv. “Its a romantic comedy. Not the burping, farting kind that you like.”

Will turned on his back. “Oh, so this is suppose to be romantic?”

Sonny took his pillow from under him and hit Will with it. “You stop picking on me.”

Will was caught off guard with the first blow, but caught the pillow before Sonny could hit him a second time. Sonny tried to get the pillow away, but Will got the upper hand and took it away from him. Sonny reached for the pillow. “Give it back.”

Will held the pillow out of his reach and looked at him. “What are you going to give me for it?”

Sonny looked down at Will. He knew exactly what he wanted, but he wasn’t going to give in so easily. “Nothing.”

Will grabbed Sonny around the waist, before he could get away and pulled him down on top of him. “Maybe I should take it.”

Sonny laughed and tried to get away, but Will was stronger than he looked and used Sonny’s attempts, as a means to push him to his back and he moved above him. Sonny was out of breath, as Will looked down on him. “This isn’t fair. Is this what I get for making you dinner?”

Will smiled and started to get up. “You’re right. I’ll let you go.”

Sonny didn’t really want to be let go. He grabbed Will by the face and pulled him down to him. 

Will lowered himself down onto Sonny and pressed his lips firmly onto his. Feeling the full length of his body against his. Sonny pulled him in close, wrapping his arms around Will’s back. Sonny tilted his head to the side to get a better angle. He opened his mouth and Will spent no time , doing the same and their tongues began to dance.

The heat of the apartment had subsided, but the heat within them began to reach its own temperature. Sonny moved his hand to the back of Will’s head and pulled it away from him. He lifted to maintain contact and worked his way, until he was now on top.

Will pulled at Sonny’s wife beater, pulling it up and rubbing his hands over Sonny’s bare back. Stroking the muscles and causing Sonny to moan. Sonny pulled up and looked at Will’s face. Will searched Sonny’s face. His eyes were hungry and his mouth was open, his full lips begging to be kissed. “Do you want to stop?”

Sonny wasn’t sure what he wanted, but stop wasn’t one of them. It wasn’t that long ago that he told Will that they should wait, but waiting was the last thing on his mind. He shook his head. “No.”

Will watched as he got up on his knees and pulled the shirt over his head. Will looked at his bare chest and ran one hand up his stomach, while using the other to pull his belt and him down to him. “Come here.”

Sonny did as he was told, again lowering himself, to take Will’s lips. He pulled at Will’s shirt and that was Will’s cue to roll Sonny over, so that he could get his top off. He pushed at Sonny, coaxing him to his back. All the while keeping his lips in contact with Sonny. When he was on top, Will pulled away. Sonny grabbed for his face, but Will stopped him. “Let me get my shirt off.”

Sonny waited for a second, but decided that Will was being too slow, so he decided to help him. He pulled Will’s shirt over his head and when his chest was exposed, he began kissing and sucking his nipples, until Will was free of his shirt and bent down to offer his lips to him again. He grabbed Will’s head to again pull him on top of him. Will began to rub his growing erection against Sonny’s, as he ran his hand over his chest. Sonny had a light layer of hair, that sent tingles through Will’s fingers that radiated in his groin. He never knew it could be like this.

He pulled himself from Sonny’s lips and stared down at him. Sonny opened his eyes and returned the gaze. It was as if he knew what Will wanted, as he relaxed on the floor, leaving himself for Will to do as he wished. 

Will realizing that Sonny was giving his permission. Kissed him gently, then began to work his way down his body. Following the trail of hair that lead to his navel , stopping only briefly to taste, as he undid the button on Sonny’s pants. 

Sonny tensed, slightly when he felt Will’s hand brush his crotch and held his breath, as he felt him slowly lower the zipper. He finally released his breath and bit his lip, as Will began to massage his member.

Will moved down between Sonny’s legs, It was his first time being close to a man like this, and he let his instincts take over. The smell of Sonny was intoxicating. He nuzzled his cock, but had yet to free it from the underwear that kept it contained. 

Sonny ran his fingers through Will’s hair, to try and coax him to continue, but he wanted Will to do things at his own pace. He then leaned up. “Come here.”

Will looked up at Sonny. He moved closer to him and Sonny reached for his pants. Will grabbed his hand to stop him. “I want to do you.”

Sonny smiled and pulled his hand from Will’s. “I want that too. We can do each other.”

Will could see the look in Sonny’s eyes. It was a hunger that needed to be satisfied. He nodded and then pulled off his pants and underwear as Sonny did the same. He leaned forward and kissed Sonny, then Sonny adjusted himself, so that he was under Will. He took Will into his mouth and for a second Will wasn’t sure if he would be able to do Sonny. He took Sonny’s cock in his hand and began to stroke it. Sonny moaned. “That feels good.”

Sonny began to stroke Will, using the same rhythm that he was using. It allowed Will to calm himself a bit. He looked down at Sonny’s cock, as the head peek out of his hand, he licked it. Sonny moaned again. 

Will had thought about being with Sonny and after Sonny had gone done on him, how it would be to return the favor. His smell was intoxicating and the taste of him, was nothing like Will had imagined. Feeling Sonny’s cock as it touched the nerve endings on his tongue, made him want more. He rolled his tongue around the tip and then finally took him in. Sonny reacted immediately. “That’s it Will.”

When Will finally seemed to have his rhythm, Sonny joined in, taking Will in and enjoying the sensation of him doing the same. 

Will was the first to feel his body, begin to give way to the sensations that were flowing through it. “I’m going to cum.”

Sonny continued moving Will in and out of his mouth, until he reached his climax. Will was drunk from his release, but he now wanted Sonny to feel the same pleasure. He picked up his pace, as Sonny watched him. “I’m close Will.”

Will slid Sonny’s cock from his mouth and began to stroke it. “Come for me Sonny.”

It didn’t take long, as Sonny threw his head back and came,spraying his fluids on Will’s upper body and chin. Will rested his head on Sonny’s legs, tired, yet content from their encounter.

Sonny reached down and for Will. “Come here.”

Will lifted his head and slowly made his way to his boyfriend. “You okay?”

Sonny smiled, as Will laid his head next to his. “Never better.”

Will looked at Sonny. His eyes were half closed. He was nervous at first and wanted to make sure that he did alright. “I’ll do better next time.”

Sonny lifted up and looked at Will, as he put his arm around him, pulling him in close. He kissed the top of Will’s head. “It was perfect.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne had told Justin about the rest of her day. Justin got up and took their glasses to the bar. “I’m still not sure why all these things are getting to you.”

Adrienne got up and walked over to her husband. “This is my family Justin.”

Justin turned to look at his wife. “I understand that, but Sonny and Abby are adults. They have to make their own choices.”

Adrienne knew that they were adults, but being adults doesn’t mean that their choices were right. “I made plenty of mistakes when I was their age. I just don’t want them to have to deal with that.”

Justin put his hand on his wife’s arm. “You can’t protect them. They are going to make mistakes. Sonny spent two years in Europe and we have no clue what he was doing most of the time, but he seems to have made it through just fine. You have to trust his judgement.”

Adrienne didn’t agree. She turned and left the room. “I’m his mother, I don’t have to do anything.”

Justin shook his head and followed her. “Sonny won’t like that.”  
_______________________________________________________________________  
Sonny was in a good mood. He and Will had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. He was disappointed that Will didn’t want to stay, when he woke up in the middle of the night, but he understood. It was their first night. They had plenty more to come.

Justin came into the coffee house. A smile on his face. “Hey Sonny.”

Sonny met his father's smile and returned it. “Hey yourself. What can I get you?”

Justin order a large plain coffee. “Have you seen your mother?”

Sonny stopped for a second and then continued to pour his father’s coffee. “Yeah..”

Justin frowned at his son. “Yeah?”

Sonny turned back around and sat the coffee on the counter, as he put on the lid. “Sorry. I saw her the other day. She stopped by for her usual. Why?”

Justin took the coffee from his son. “She wasn’t happy yesterday. She’s upset about you and Abby getting involved with the wrong people.”

Sonny took in a breath and let it out. “I told her to keep out of it.”

Justin held up his hand to stop his son. “I told her the same thing. You and Abby should be able to make up your own mind about who you want to date.”

Sonny smiled. “I’m glad you agree with me. Wait. Why would she talk about me and Will dating?”

Justin frowned at his son. There was obviously something behind his concern. “She overheard it somewhere. I was thinking about future events, but is there something that you want to tell me?”

Sonny knew that his dad was more open minded than his mom. He never got into his personal life and felt that he should make his own mistakes. “There is, but you can’t tell mom.”

Justin didn’t like making promises like that, but his son’s love life was his business. If he didn’t want his mom to know that could only mean one thing. “Just don’t tell me…”

Sonny smiled and nodded. “Its Will.”

Justin closed his eyes and thought about all the things that Adrienne would be screaming at this moment. “Really Sonny?”

Sonny got sad. “Yes really. I thought you would support us.”

Justin bit his lip. His son was absolutely right. If it wasn’t for the conversation with his wife the previous night, he would have with open arms. “I do son. Its just that you know how your mother….”

Sonny cut his father off. “This has nothing to do with her. It has to do with me and Will and I think I’m falling in love with him.”

Justin’s heart melted when he heard his son say those words. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”

Sonny smiled. “Then you’re okay with it.”

Justin walked around the counter and pulled his son into a hug. “I’m more than okay.”

Sonny wrapped his arms around his father. “Thanks Dad.”

Justin let go of the hug and picked up his coffee to go. “...but don’t wait too long to tell your mother. She found out yesterday that Will was gay, so she’s already has it in her mind it could happen.”

After his father left, Sonny bit his lip and thought about his mother’s reaction. “Oh shit.”


	13. Keeping Things Under Wraps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny are floating on Cloud 9, but as people find out about them, some may be happier than others.

Will was floating on a cloud. He and Sonny had spent an amazing evening together and his life was finally on track. When he got out of juvie, all he could hope for was that he would be able to start school and put his past behind him. Being with Sonny, he didn’t have to. Sonny knew everything about him, but yet he still cared about him.

He walked past a flower store. They had bouquets of fall flowers for sale. It might have been a bit cheesy, but he wanted to show Sonny, how special their date was. “What the heck.”

Just before he went in, his friend T stopped him. “Hey Will.”

Will smiled at his friend. “T. What’s up?”

T frowned at the flower shop. “What are you doing here? I heard you’re into dudes.”

Will felt uneasy. He had told his parents and a few other people, but he never thought to tell T. “Where did you hear that?”

T shrugged. “I’ve heard it around. Is it true?”

Will wasn’t ashamed of being gay, but he didn’t like being questioned about it. He liked to do things at his own pace, but there was no denying it. “Yeah I am. I should have told you.”

T nodded as he looked at the ground. “Yeah you should have. Is that why you weren’t into the frats? It probably made you uncomfortable, the idea of staying with a bunch of dudes. I would think you would get into it though. You’ve see me in all my glory before. Did you get off on it?”

Will wasn’t sure what to make of what T was saying, but he knew it wasn’t good. “It was never like that T.”

T thought that he understood. “It was the juvie detention place. You were straight before you went. What did they do to you?”

Will shook his head and tried to get T to move from in front of the shop. “It had nothing to do with me being locked up. Everything was fine. It’s just who I am. Let’s go someplace else and talk.”

T shook his head and backed away from Will. “How can I talk to you.? Our whole relationship was a lie. Is that why you didn’t want to be friends when you first came home?”

Will let out a sigh. He never knew that T was this way. They were kids when he left. T was the runt of the class and always was picked on. He liked hanging out with Will, because Will wouldn’t let the other kids pick on him. Will liked T, because he was funny and he never let things bother him and it made things at home, not nearly as bad. “I guess. I’d changed and I didn’t know if you would accept me.”

T’s demeanor changed. He went from angry to sad. “Not accept you? You were my only friend in jr high. I missed you like crazy when you were gone. You’re closer to me, than some of the people in my family. All the kids would pick on me, but you never turned your back on me and I would never do that to you. I just wish that you told me.”

Tears started to fill Will’s eyes and he pulled T into a hug. “I’m so sorry, Man.”

T held Will tight. “I love you Will.”

T pulled back and tried to sneak and wipe a tear away. Will saw him. “It’s okay to cry.”

T rubbed his nose one more time, then changed the subject. “So who are the flowers for?”

Will shrugged. He didn’t really want to talk to T about Sonny. It wasn’t public knowledge yet, but he did owe him since he hadn’t told him that he was gay. “Its kind of a secret still, but its Sonny.”

T frowned and thought for a second and then realize who Will was talking about. “The guy from the coffee shop. Damn, I’m an idiot.”

Will frowned. He thought that T was from time to time, but he had no clue why he would say he was now. “Why?”

T shook his head and laughed. “I thought there was something between you two, when we stopped in that day and he gave you the free coffee.”

Will blushed. “I guess.”

T laughed and pointed at the flowers that Will was about to buy. “That guy is classy. If you want to impress him, I wouldn’t buy him those.”

Will looked at the flowers and frowned. “What’s wrong with them?”

T threw his arm over Will’s shoulder. “Let me give you some of my dating advice.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abby came into the coffee house, she smiled at Sonny like she had a big secret to tell and she did. Sonny could tell by the look on her face, that she was waiting for him to ask. “What’s going on with you?”

Abby leaned on the counter. “Nothing, but I hear something is going on with you.”

Sonny hoped that he knew what she was talking about, but he didn’t want to give anything away. He acted coy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Abby looked at her cousin and frowned. “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Will told me about you two.”

Sonny still wasn’t sure what Will told her. “You’ve got to give me more information than that.”

Abby was getting impatient with Sonny, as he stood there all wide eyed and innocent. “Come on. Do I have to spell it out for you? He told me…”

Sonny waited for Abby to finish, but she didn’t. She just stared at him. “Told you what?”

Abby’s mouth fell open slowly and Sonny was starting to worry, but before he could ask if she was alright, she finally spoke. “He told me that you too liked each other, but its more than that.”

Sonny was scared. He was glad that Abby was happy for him and Will, but he didn’t want her telling everyone. “Okay Abby, there’s nothing to tell.”

Abby smacked Sonny’s arm. “Don’t give me that mister. You two are…”

Sonny grabbed Abby’s arm and looked around. “Okay, so we are. Its no big deal. Can you keep it down?”

Abby patted her hands together. She was so excited for her two cousins. “This is so great. I’m so happy for you two.”

Sonny smiled. Relieved that he finally had someone to talk to. He had felt like he was going to burst all day. “Not as happy as I am. When did he tell you?”

Abby thought for a second. “We were in the park, but he just told me that you two liked each other. I had no clue, but its written all over your face.”

Sonny ran his hand over his face. Was it really that obvious? “Is it that bad. I know it feels like I’m smiling all the time, but I thought I had it under control.”

Abby shrugged. “Maybe to the rest of the world, but I know you. You’re happy enough, but you’re practically glowing.”

Sonny closed his eyes and shook his head. “It can’t be that bad.”

Abby crossed her arms across her chest. “If you say so.”

Sonny immediately got worried. “I really hope you’re wrong.”

Abby frowned. She didn’t understand. “I don’t get it. You’re happy. You should be shouting it to the world.”

Sonny shook his head. Shouting it to the world was the last thing that he wanted to do. “I can’t.”

Abby realized what Sonny’s problem was. “You’re mother…”

Sonny nodded.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne couldn’t talk to her husband, but she thought that she had found an ally in her plight. “Abby and Sonny are just too young to understand.”

Jennifer put down her teacup. “I don’t think its the same situation. Sonny isn’t dating Will and from what you said Sami told you, Will is dating someone else.”

Adrienne nodded. “I know. I know. Its just that the problem is that they don’t see that these people are poison. Look at the things that the DiMeras have done. If I found out that I was one of them, I would leave town as fast, as I could. Its not like he has any ties here.”

Jennifer understood where Adrienne was coming from. “I feel the same way, but not about Will. Like it or not, he’s part of my family. I can’t turn my back on him.”

Adrienne dropped her shoulders and frowned at her sister-in-law. “How many times has your family turned your back on Sami. She tried to pass Will off as her sister’s boyfriend child, when she was 16 and she has been trying to get over on people ever since..”

Jennifer couldn’t deny it. Sami was a handful. “Yes I know. Sami has had her fill of drama..”

Adrienne nodded and took a sip of her tea. “...and Will isn’t any better. He started younger. He was only 14 when he tried to kill EJ.”

Jennifer didn’t see what Will did,as the same at all. “I think he was doing the town a favor.”

Adrienne raised her voice. “Its still attempted murder.”

Jennifer was taken aback by Adrienne’s persistence. “I know. I think that Will has learned his lesson. I don’t think he will be doing anything like that again. He’s in school and seems to have adjusted well to being out. Abby adores him.”

Adrienne didn’t mean to get upset. She was just tired of everyone assuming that what Will did was a fluke. Its all that he had ever known with a mother like Sami Brady and being in a juvenile detention center, probably didn’t teach him any better. “I thought you were the one that was questioning her judgement because of Chad.”

Jennifer thought about what Adrienne said. “I’m pretty sure she’s right on this one.”

Adrienne took a sip of her tea and mumbled under her breath. “Yeah right.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Abby was about to leave when Will came in. She turned when she heard the door open. “Hey Will. I was just telling Sonny how happy I was about the news.”

Will walked slowly to the counter. He hadn’t noticed his cousin when he peeked through the door. “Heeeeyyyy Abby.”

Abby could tell that something was going on with her cousin. She could see he had his hand behind his back. “What’s wrong and what’s behind your back?”

Abby peaked Sonny’s curiosity. “Yeah Will. What’s behind your back?”

Will continued to hold his hand behind his back. He was embarrassed enough and Abby had just informed Sonny that he was hiding something. “Nothing for you nosy.”

Abby could tell when she wasn’t wanted. She pretended that her feelings were hurt and headed for the door. “How rude. I’ll see you later Sonny.”

Sonny smiled at his cousin, who proceeded towards the door, then gave him a thumbs up, after peeking to see what was in Will’s hand. Sonny couldn’t help but chuckle. “Bye Abby.”

Will made his way over to the counter. He was a little shocked. “So you told her we slept together?”

Sonny rocked his head back and forth. It was hard to admit what really happened. “No not really. She figured it out.”

Will was now confused. “Figured it out? How did she do that?”

Sonny sucked on his lip and shrugged. “She said I glowed.”

Will snickered. “Glowed?”

Sonny was embarrassed as he nodded his head. “Yeah. That’s what she said.”

Will still wasn’t sure what Sonny glowing meant. “Okay. If you say so.”

Sonny could tell that Will wasn’t getting what he was trying to say. “She said that I looked happier than she had ever seen me.”

Will stepped closer and leaned on the counter. “Now I get it. I’ve kind of been floating on a cloud myself.”

Sonny leaned on the counter across from Will. His elbows were touching Will and his nose was inches away. He smiled. “A cloud huh? I thought you were afraid of highest.”

Will kissed Sonny gently, then moved back to where he was. “I’m not scared in the least.”

Sonny licked his lips and smiled even broader. “Neither am I. You going to tell me what’s behind your back?”

Will shrugged and pull from behind his back a single flower. “Sure.”

Sonny took the flower from Will’s hand. “A rose. Thank you.”

Will pointed at the flower that was now in Sonny’s hand. “Its much more than a rose.”

Sonny smiled. “Really?”

Will had spent a great deal of time talking to the florist and finding out about roses. “Yes. You might think that is a simple rose, but what you might not know, is that depending on the color of a rose, the meaning changes.”

Sonny looked at the rose in his hand. “Oookay. What does this rose mean.”

Will pointed at the base. “As you can tell the bottom of this rose is yellow.”

Sonny nodded. “Yes, I can see that.”

Will took Sonny’s hand. “If the rose was all yellow it would stand for friendship, but we are more than friends I think.”

Sonny chuckled. “I have to agree with that.”

Will remained serious. “Now lets move to the top of the rose. The top is red, which you probably are aware of…”

Sonny nodded. “That stands for love.”

Will smiled. “Very good. I could have given you a red rose, but that is too cliche. If I had taken off the thorns, it would have meant love at first sight, but given that I had no clue what was going on at that moment, that wouldn’t have worked either.”

Sonny was completely enthralled. He couldn’t believe that Will had put so much thought into what some would think of as a simple gesture. “Okay, so what does this one mean?”

Will took the rose from Sonny and held it between them. “This rose represents how I feel about you. I remember talking to you at the picnic and sharing stories of our lives. Talking here about school and mostly the great concoction that you made for me. You have been such a friend to me and I’m falling in love with you. That’s what this rose represents.”

Sonny’s eyes filled with tears, as he took the rose that Will was offering him. “I’m falling in love with you too.”

Will reached over the counter and wrapped his arm around Sonny’s head to pull him into a slow and deep kiss.

They didn’t realize, but the 3 customers that had been in the coffee house had been listening to their exchange and when they kissed. They all began to cheer and clap, along with Sonny’s two baristas. 

Will and Sonny parted and looked around at the people. They both laughed. 

Sonny stood up. He turned, took out a cup and put water in it. He then placed his rose inside. Then he walked around the counter and took off his apron. He took Will’s hand and then looked over the crowd. “I think we could use a little privacy.”

Everyone laughed and applauded again, as they left.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will and Sonny walked to the park. It was late September and it was getting chilly. Sonny hadn’t grabbed a coat when he made his grand gesture and was rubbing his arms. “Teach me not to be smug.”

Will put his arm around Sonny and ran his hand up and down it. “We could go to your place. I’m sure the heat there will warm you up pretty quickly.”

Sonny stopped and turned to Will. He held the lapels of his jacket in his hand. “I would love nothing better than to do that, but the landlord, texted me right before you came and said that they guy was going to be fixing it this afternoon.”

Will undid his coat and opened it for Sonny to come inside. “Come here.”

Sonny stepped closer to Will and wrapped his arms around his waist and Will closed his coat around him. “Bridget Jones Diary.”

Will frowned down at Sonny. “What?”

Sonny looked up at Will. “The movie ‘Bridget Jones Diary’. Haven’t you seen it?”

Will shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

Sonny laid his head back on Will’s chest. “We’ll have to get that for our next movie night.”

Adrienne was on her way to see Sonny. She saw Will standing in the square and tried to see who he was with. She then shook her head. “Its not important.”

She made her way down the street. She got to the coffee house and noticed that Sonny wasn’t there. She decided to sit down, figuring that he might be in the back working.

Sonny tried to move from under Will’s coat, but Will pulled him back. “Hey, I’m enjoying this.”

Sonny tickled Will to aid his escape. “I am too, but I have to get back.”

Will let out a sigh. He hated to let Sonny go, but if it wasn’t for the coffee house, there was no way of knowing how they would have met or if Sonny would have gone back to Europe. “Okay. I probably should go anyway.”

Now it was Sonny’s turn to be sad. “Okay. What do you say we get together later?”

Will would have loved to, but he couldn’t. “I have to go home and study for a test.”

Sonny giggled. “I’d say you still should come but…”

They both said in unison, that Will wouldn’t get any studying done. Sonny was starting to get cold again. “I better get inside.”

Will pulled Sonny close for one last kiss. “Call me when you get home. I’ll be ready for a study break.”

Sonny smiled and nodded, as he started to go. “I’ll do that.”

Will was still holding Sonny’s hand and squeezed it, when it began to slip from his grasp. Sonny stopped and turned back to Will. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

Will finally let his hand slide from his. “You better.”

Adrienne was starting to wonder where her son was. She caught the attention of one of the baristas. “Excuse me, do you know where Sonny is?”

The barista smiled. “He stepped out a bit with his boyfriend.”

Adrienne frowned, just as Sonny came in. “Boyfriend?”


	14. Mother Doesn't Always Know Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny and Will are forced to come clean to their mothers.

Sonny stopped inside the door when he saw his mother. He didn't really want to talk to her, but knew that it couldn't be avoided. He attempted to be serious, to mask the glow that Abby said was so evident, then headed for the counter. “Hey mom.”

Adrienne turned to meet her son. “Sonny?”

Sonny noticed the worried look on his mom’s face. “What’s wrong?”

Adrienne couldn’t believe that her son would keep something so special from her. “When were you going to tell me that you had a boyfriend?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will continued to float on his cloud, all the way home. He opened the door to the apartment to find his grandmother Marlena sitting on the sofa. He greeted her with a huge smile. “Hey. What are you doing here?”

Marlena got up to meet her grandson. “Your mother wanted to spend some time with Rafe and I told her I’d watch the kids. I haven’t seen them in awhile. How are you?”

Will smiled and took Marlena’s outstretched hand, that she held out for him. “I’m great.”

Marlena pulled him towards the sofa to sit. “I can see that. Do you want to tell me why?”

Will sat down next to his grandmother. He was always comfortable with his grandmother and he knew that anything that he told her was always kept between them. “You know me too well.”

Marlena shrugged, then placed her arm on the back of the sofa. “You look like you’ve got some good news.”

Will frowned and shook head. “No. Not really.”

Marlena tapped Will’s shoulder. “I doubt that its that you’re just happy to see me. Although, I am wonderful, I think that its more than that. Something has you beaming.”

Will remembered Sonny saying Abby told him that he glowed. “Beaming?”

Marlena got serious. “Okay now. Why are you being so evasive?”

Will shook his head and looked away from his grandmother’s prying eyes. “I’m not.”

Marlena knew her grandson too well. She knew how he always would avoid her eyes when he was hiding something. She reached over and placed her hand under his chin, to turn him towards her. “Yes you are. Now tell me.”

Will didn’t know why he even tried. “I have a boyfriend.”

A smile spread across Marlena’s face. “Why didn’t you want to tell me?”

Will got up and walked over to the kitchen. “I don’t know. Its all pretty new.”

Marlena got up and followed him and stood by the counter as Will search the refrigerator. “Judging from the look on your face, it must be pretty special.”

Will found some grapes and turned around. He leaned on the counter as he began to eat. “He is.”

Marlena was confused. “Then why didn’t you want to tell me?”

Will shrugged, as he continued to eat his grapes. “I don’t know. I never expected anything like this to happen. A little over three months ago, I was locked away and scared to death that I would never get my life back.”

Marlena reached over and touched Will’s arm. “...but you have.”

Will nodded as he threw the stem away from the grapes. “I know. I’m in school and the world didn’t end when I told my family that I'm gay. Now this. It just seems like its a dream.”

Marlena nodded her head, as she understood. “...and you’re afraid that you’re going to wake up.”

Will walked back into the living room. “Yeah. He’s so great and part of me wonders why he would want me, but he does.”

Marlena rushed over to her grandson and grabbed him by the arm to make him look at her. “Wait one minute. You are a wonderful man. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

Will let out a sigh and looked down at the ground. “I know that I’m not the worse person in the world.”

Marlena interjected. “Not even close…”

Will smiled up at his grandmother and then looked back towards the ground. “I know what you think of me, but I don’t have the best past.”

Marlena interrupted again. “...and you served your time for that.”

Will loved his grandmother, but he wished that she would let him finish. “Yes I did and he knows all about it, but he doesn’t care. He said he's falling in love with me.”

Marlena smiled. “How could he not? Who is this guy?”

Will sucked his lip for a second, as he looked into his grandmother’s beaming face. “It’s Sonny Kiriakis.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny wasn’t sure what to say. “Who told you that I had a boyfriend?”

Adrienne turned and looked around, then pointed at the barista. “She did and she was pretty happy about it. Are you trying to say she was mistaken?”

Sonny bit his lip. He was hoping to keep things about him and Will secret a while longer. They were still getting to know each other and he didn’t want his mother’s fears to ruin it, but he didn’t want to lie to her. “No she’s not.”

Adrienne looked at her son. “Okay then, so why didn’t you tell me?”

The shop was about to close, so Sonny took a cloth from under the counter and walked out to clean the tables. “I don’t know. There’s not really anything to tell.”

Adrienne turned to look at her son. “He’s your boyfriend. It’s got to have been going on for a while.”

Sonny continued to clear and clean the tables. “A few weeks.”

Adrienne frowned. “That’s all? So is it serious?”

Sonny bit his lip. “I think it is.”

Adrienne smiled. “Well, that’s wonderful. So when can I meet him?”

Sonny turned around to look at his mother. “You already have.”

Adrienne was caught by surprise. She watched, as the barista walked over and gave Sonny an envelope. She had her jacket and was about to leave. “I have?”

Sonny took the envelope from Sarah, before turning his attention back to his mother. “Thanks. I’ll see you tomorrow. Yes.”

Adrienne watched Sarah leave, then turned back to her son and frowned. “Who is it?”

Sonny turned back to the table and continued to clean it and replied nonchalantly. “Will Horton.”

Adrienne stared at her son’s back in shock.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Marlena, had gotten a glass of ice tea and she and Will were sitting on the sofa again. “So, you and Sonny have been seeing each other for a few weeks now and you haven’t told your mother?”

Will licked his lips. His mother always made such a big thing about everything. “I told her I was dating someone, I just didn’t tell her who.”

Marlena thought about what Will had said, as she put her glass on the table. “Is it because you’re afraid of the way she will react, because of how she feels about Sonny’s mother?”

Will shook his head as he got up. “No. I know that mom and Mrs Kiriakis don’t get along. When I first got back, I ran into her at Sonny’s coffee shop.”

Marlena turned to face Will as he walked behind the sofa. “Did she say something to you?”

Will turned to face his grandmother. “No..no..no. She was nice enough.”

Marlena frowned. "Nice enough. What did she say?””

Will shrugged his shoulders, as he pulled up the corner of his mouth, in a half smile. “She didn’t say much of anything. She was nice enough. It was just a feeling I got. That’s why it took so long for Sonny and me to get together. I thought he didn’t like me at first.”

Marlena was confused. “I don’t get it. If she never said anything, then why would you think that he didn’t like you?”

Will pulled at the material on the back of the sofa. “I had just got out and I guess that I was feeling down on myself. That’s not why I didn’t tell my mom though.”

Marlena looked up at Will. “Then why?”

Will walked around the sofa and took his seat again. “I guess I just want it to be between us. I didn’t want anything to mess it up. She can see I’m happy and that’s all she cares about. I don’t see why she needs to know who I’m dating.”

Just then, Sami and Rafe came into the apartment. “Why not?”

Will looked at Marlena then closed his eyes for a second, before turning around to face his mom.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne got up and walked over to her son. “Tell me you’re joking.”

Sonny took a breath and then turned around to face his mother. “No I’m not. I’m dating Will.”

Adrienne frowned, as she shook her head. “How is that possible, after everything that I told you about him?”

Sonny stood his ground. He listened to everything that his mother had said, but none of it seemed to matter. “You don’t know him like I do. He’s a wonderful man.”

Adrienne didn’t agree. “He’s an ex con. That’s not what I wanted for my son.”

Sonny frowned at his mother. “It not like he was a Statesville.”

Adrienne turned away from her son and shook her head. “I don’t believe this. He tried to kill a man and you act like he stole a candy bar from grocery store. What he did was a serious offense.”

Sonny turned and picked up the things from the table and took them around the counter to put them away. “Yes it was and he knows it. He regrets shooting EJ, but at the time he thought he was saving his family. If we were in trouble, you would have done the same. As a matter of fact, you did.”

Adrienne stared at her son. She couldn’t believe that he would bring up such a horrible time in her life. “That’s not the same and you know it.”

Sonny didn’t agree with his mother. “I think it is.”

Adrienne began to cry. “I was attacked by my father, who had hunt me down after making my life a living hell and I admitted to what I did. The court never sent me to prison. They understood. Will was guilty.”

Sonny tried to explain to his mother. “Maybe he wasn’t physically abused, but EJ tormented his family. He shot John and he rape his mother. He did what he thought he had to do. Just because he went to jail and you didn’t doesn’t make him any different than you.”

Adrienne wiped her face. “Okay. Maybe you’re right, but that doesn’t change the fact that his family has problems.”

Sonny threw up his hands. “Really mom. Will’s mother has nothing to do with Will. What would you think if someone judged me by your family or better yet my dad’s. I’m a Kiriakis. That doesn’t exactly make people feel all warm and fuzzy when they find that out. Who knows how many people Uncle Vic has had killed.”

Adrienne shook her head. “That’s not the same and you know it.”

Sonny walked around the counter and stood in front of his mother. “Maybe it isn’t, but I wish you would try and get to know him. Give him a chance. He’s really sweet and I think if you try, you might see that you like him as much as I do.”

Adrienne looked at her son. She didn’t see how he could be right about Will Horton, but she could see how important it was. “Okay. I’ll try.”

Sonny smiled and pulled his mother into a hug. “You won’t regret. I promise.”

Adrienne held her son tight. “I pray that you are right.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sami had let Rafe and Marlena out and then walked over to her son, who was getting a bottle of water out of the fridge. He held out one for his mother. “You want one?”

Sami shook her head. “No thanks. Now tell me about this guy.”

Will put the bottle back in the fridge and took the top off of his bottle. “What do you want to know?”

Sami thought for a second then shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t really know anything. Lets start with his name.”

Will took a swig of his water. “It’s Sonny.”

Sami smiled. She was happy that Will was opening up to her. “Sonny that nice. Its funny, you don’t hear a name, then all of a sudden everyone seems to have it. So what’s Sonny’s last name.”

Will took another drink, as he walked past his mother into the living room. “Kiriakis.”

Sami turned and stared at her son, as he went and sat on the sofa. “Adrienne Kiriakis’ son?”

Will wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “That’s the one.”

Sami walked over to the sofa and looked down at her son. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

Will shook his head and sunk back into the sofa. “No I’m not. We’ve been seeing each other for a few weeks now.”

Sami stepped closer to her son. “I know exactly how long, you have been dating him. You do know his mother hates me.”

Will looked up at his mom. “You do know that has nothing to do with it.”

Sami turned from her son and walked back towards the kitchen. “It has everything to do with it. She hates me, which means she probably hates you too. She will make your life hell.”

Will leaned back and took another drink. “Maybe, but right now she doesn’t know.”

Sami turned back around and frowned at her son. “She doesn’t know? Why not? Is Sonny ashamed of you or something?”

Will got up to throw his bottle away. “Mom, don’t freak out. You didn’t know until a few minutes ago.”

Sami thought about what her son said. “Yeah I guess. Okay. So what’s the big secret? “

Will turned around and leaned with his hands on the counter. “I don’t know. We’ve been just trying to get use to each other. We haven’t really talked about parents or anything.”

Sami didn’t believe her son. “Yeah right. How could you not? You know we hate each other. “

Will walked out of the kitchen. “And that’s a reason too. Sonny and I seeing each other, has nothing to do with you or his mom. It has to do with us.”

Sami walked over to her son, as he stood by the sofa. “How can it not? I would think that you would want your parents and your boyfriend's parents to get along.”

Will laughed, as he frowned at his mother and backed away to go sit on the sofa. “No. Sonny and I get each other. Do you know how hard that is, given what I’ve done? It’s hard to hide my past and he knows all about it, yet he still wants to be with me.”

Sami got worried, as she stepped around the sofa and stood next to her son. “Be with you? You mean?”

Will frowned up at his mother from the sofa. “I am not going to discuss my sex life with you.”

Sami realized that she was grateful, because she really didn’t want to know. “Fine. I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want you to rush things. You just came out.”

Will wasn’t sure what his mother was talking about. “I’ve known I was gay for a while now and that does matter. Sonny makes me happy and I thought that was what you wanted.”

Sami walked up to her son and took his hand. “That’s what I’ve wanted all along. I was so proud of you when you came out. So was your father, but I’m just worried. I know how it is to have a mother hen, constantly going at you.”

Will smiled and held his mothers hand with both of his. “You mean Kate. I don’t think that Sonny’s mom is that bad.”

Sami wasn’t so sure. “You don’t know Adrienne.”

Will nodded. He had to admit that his mother was right and he even got an eerie feeling about her. “You’re right, I don’t, but I do know Sonny and I think this could really lead to something special.”

Sami felt for her son. She let out a sigh. “He must mean a lot to you.”

Will smiled. His mother had no clue how much Sonny meant to him. “He does.”

Sami had no choice but to give in. “Okay then. I won’t try and talk you out of it, but be careful around his mother. You only tried to kill EJ. Adrienne killed someone and got off for it. I’m going to bed.”

Will watched as his mother disappeared into her room. “She did?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Talking with Marlena and his mom, Will didn’t get to study nearly as long as he had planned, but he was feeling pretty good about the exam and he was currently getting an A in the class, so how bad could it be. He had just climbed into bed when his phone rang. He smiled when he saw it was Sonny. “Hey Sonny. I thought you had forgotten about me.”

Sonny smiled on the other end. After talking to his mom, talking to Will was just what he needed, but he knew that Will had an exam the next day. “Sorry to call so late. I had some stuff going on at the coffee house. If you can’t talk...”

Will was worried. He frowned at the phone. “No problem. What kind of stuff? Is something wrong?”

Sonny shook his head. “No. I handled it. Did you get your studying done?”

Will stretched in the bed. “I got enough. I can look over it again tomorrow. I’ve got some time after my first class. I’m glad you called. I wish we could have spent more time together.”

Sonny was just getting in bed. “Me too. We can do it on the weekend.”

Will was starting to get tired. He let out a little whimper. “Mmm, what do you have in mind?”

Will’s sounds excited Sonny, as he settled down into the bed. “I don’t know. What if I surprise you?”

Will rubbed his eyes. “I like surprises.”

Sonny could tell that Will was getting tired. “You sound tired. Maybe I should let you go.”

Will liked listening to Sonny’s voice. “I don’t want you to. I like hearing your voice. Are you in bed?”

Sonny smiled. “Yeah. I just got in. I can tell from your bedroom voice that you must be too.”

Will put up a light protest. “I don’t have a bedroom voice.”

Sonny didn’t want to fight. “If you say so, but whatever voice, you’re using, sounds really sexy. I wish I was there with you.”

Will was tired, but the thought of Sonny being with him, was enough to get him excited. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”

Sonny began to talk lower, as he played coy with Will. “Like what?”

Will wet his lips. “You know what. Saying that you want me to be here with me.”

Sonny continued to tease. “But I do.”

Will decided to play along. “And what would you do if you were?”

Sonny thought for a moment. “I’d start by kissing your neck.”

Will was tired and couldn’t hold back the moan that escaped his lips. “Mmm, really? Then what?”

Sonny was feeling guilty. He could tell that Will was tired. “We don’t really want to go there. I should let you go. I can tell you’re tired.”

Now that he had started this game, he wanted to finish it. “I want to go there. Me being tired, just means you have to do all the work.”

Sonny chuckled. “If you insist.”

Will gave a lazy nod. “I do.”

Sonny closed his eyes and imagined Will. “You are so beautiful.”

Will bit his bottom lip. “So are you. How can you tell if you're kissing my neck?”

Sonny let out a small chuckle. “I stopped. I’m kneeling with my legs on either side of your waist and looking down at you. You’re so perfect.”

Will let out a lazy smile. “Then come here and kiss me.”

Sonny imagined himself kissing Will and kissed the phone. “How’s that?”

Will moaned again. “I want more.”

Sonny does too. “I kiss down to your chest and begin to lick your nipples. They are so hard.”

Will’s hand ran over his chest. “Yes they are. “

Sonny licks his lips. The thought of Will naked before him and his breathy voice on the phone, makes him want to touch himself. He runs his hand down his chest and under the covers. “I want to taste you.”

Will remembers the time before, when Sonny took him into his mouth. He feels his cock twitch, as it aches for the feeling again. “Do it.”

Sonny starts to stroke his length, at the thought of Will in his mouth. “Oh Will.”

Will felt the heat rise on his body. He threw back the covers and began to stroke his cock faster. “I want to cum Sonny.”

Sonny heard Will’s declaration and could feel himself begin to get close. “Cum for me babe.”

Will did as Sonny had said and felt his release. Covering his hand, with his own fluids. He was breathing heavy. “Oh god.”

Sonny felt the same way, as he had just covered his sheets and his spasms began to subside. He let out an out of breath. “You okay?”

Will was even more tired, but very relaxed. “Oh yeah. What about you?”

Sonny smiled. “Never better. Do you think you can sleep now?”

Will nodded as he found himself, starting to drift off. “Yeah. I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Sonny turned on his side to turn off the light. “Why don’t you stop by after your test.”

“Okay. Love you.” Will ended the call and dropped the phone on the bed.”

Sonny heard the connection end. He smiled at Will’s pic, as he appeared on the phone. “Love you too Will.”


	15. Meet The Parents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will is surprised by his Grandmother Kate. While Sonny follows his father's advice about his mother.

Sonny was running late to the coffee house. His father was there waiting for him when he came to the door. “Do I have to ask why you’re late?”

Sonny was obviously flustered, as he put his key in the door to let his father in. “No you don’t, but Will had nothing to do with it.”

Justin followed his son into the coffee house. “If you say so.”

Sonny quickly began to make the coffee. “I don’t have time for this. Did mom talk to you?”

Justin put his briefcase on the stool next to him as he sat down. “Now that’s a question that I know you know the answer to.”

Sonny shook his head. “I thought she was going to give him a chance. “

Justin lean on the counter. “She is, she is. She is just worried, that’s all.”

Sonny changed the pot and then poured his father a cup of coffee. “She has nothing to worry about. She just needs to get to know him and everything will be fine.”

Justin took the cup from his son and took a sip. “You know its not that easy with your mom. She’s had a hard life growing up, which you never should have mentioned.”

Sonny felt bad. “I’m sorry. I just wanted her to see, that your past, doesn’t necessarily reflect your future. You both have done things that you aren’t proud of, but look at you two. Will and I really care about each other.”

Justin took a sip of his coffee. “I can see that. Its still pretty new though.”

Sonny poured himself a cup from his second pot. “Not really. We liked each other from the beginning and we were friends. There were just some misunderstandings that got in the way.”

Justin nodded and pointed at the muffins that Sonny was now putting away. “Will being straight. Can I have one of those?”

Sonny got out a plate to give his father a muffin. “Sure. That was part of it.”

Justin pulled the plate closer to him. “Its got to be hard dating someone that has just come out. You were always the sensible one in the family, but when you realized who you were, you ran off to Europe.”

Sonny picked up his coffee. “I know. I tried to run from myself, but Will didn’t have that luxury.”

Justin picked up his napkin and wiped him mouth. “What do you mean? He’s not on parole,. He can go wherever he wants.”

Sonny understood that, but he knew Will better than his father did. “Of course he can. Will missed his family while he was away and he would never leave them again, if he didn’t have to. What I was saying is, that he realized who he was, when he was away. He’s had time to come to terms with it. I just assumed he was straight. He was hanging around Gabi.”

Justin frowned. “Gabi Hernandez?”

Sonny got some creams from under the counter. “Yeah. You know her?”

Justin finished up his muffin. “I know her brother. He’s a cop and we’ve come across each other from time to time. So he was involved with her?”

Sonny finished filling the containers, then came back to the counter. “No. I just assumed. That was a mistake on my part. My keeping my distance, because I didn’t want to be attracted to a straight guy, made Will think I didn’t like him. When we figured out we were mistakened, things just took off from there.”

Justin handed his cup to his son. “I see. So you’ve had feelings for Will for awhile.”

Sonny smiled and leaned on the counter. “I have and him for me. Its just recently that we’ve been able to act on it. So can you help with mom?”

Justin got up from his seat. “I’m not getting in the middle of this.”

Sonny stood up and frowned. “I was hoping…”

Justin cut his son off, as he picked up his briefcase. “You know I can’t convince your mother of anything, once she’s made up her mind. So that’s going to have to be up to you.”

Sonny had no clue how to handle his mother. He had tried to explain to her, how he felt about Will, but she was still hesitant. “How am I suppose to do that?”

Justin headed for the door and smiled. “Why don’t the two of you come to dinner tonight?”

Sonny watched as his father left. “That was probably last on my list of possibilities.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had just finished his exam. He was on his way to the coffee house to see Sonny, when a familiar voice called after him. “Will!”

Will turned and found his grandmother Kate smiling at him. “Hi Grandmother.”

Kate walked up and gave Will a hug. “Hi yourself. I haven’t seen you around.”

Will loved his grandmother Kate, but some of the things that she did to his mother when he was growing up, made him cringe. He shrugged. “I’ve been around.”

Kate smiled. The one that she did, when she wasn’t pleased with what he was telling her. “I know and you’ve been avoiding me.”

Will shook his head and frowned. “No I haven’t. I’ve had school and …”

Kate didn’t bother to let him finish. “...and coming out.”

Will didn’t want to have this conversation. “Grandma, I really…”

Kate waved her hand at her grandson to stop him. “Don’t bother to explain. Its not like I didn’t know.”

Will frowned at his grandmother. If she knew, why was she making him feel bad. “Oh.”

Kate giggled. “Is that all you can say? I just wanted to congratulate you.”

Now Will was completely confused. “Congratulate me?”

Kate let out a sigh and put her arm around her grandson, as she walked him over to a beach to sit down. “I’m just happy that you found your way. I think I probably started suspecting it when you were 3.”

Will frowned at his grandmother. There was no way that she knew something about him that he never even knew about himself. “You didn’t know anything.”

Kate patted Will on the leg. “Okay, maybe I didn’t, but you never were like I remembered your father being at that age. I knew all children were different, but I remember how you were my gentle little man. You kept to yourself mostly and although you liked running and playing with the other kids outside, there was the fascination that you always had for my makeup.”

Will shook his head. “I was a kid. Mom never had all the things that you had. I’m not into that kind of thing now.”

Kate smiled and nodded. “I know, it was the things that you would say, while you watched me.”

Will had no clue what he could have said when he was 3, that would make his grandmother think that he was gay. “What? What did I say?”

Kate reached over and placed her hand on Will’s leg. “You wanted to know if guys liked all the makeup that I wore.”

Will didn’t think that was an indication of anything. “You always said I was curious.”

Kate nodded, as she got up from the bench and started walking down the street. “That was what I thought at the time, until a week later, I saw you playing with it.”

Will got up and followed her. “I don’t remember that. What happened when you caught me?”

Kate stopped and turned towards Will. “I never said anything. I saw you and just backed out of the room. I called you and you had cleaned up pretty well. Except….”

Will crinkled up his nose, he smiled. “Except what?”

Kate stepped closer to Will and ran her thumb over his lips. “You forgot that you had put on lipstick.”

Will blinked his eyes in disbelief. “Really? Did my dad see it?”

Kate turned to go. “Of course not. It wasn’t anything that a messy ice cream cone couldn’t get rid of. Lucas never knew.”

Will watched his grandmother leave, completely dumbfounded.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will arrived at the coffee house and Sonny smiled when he saw him. “Hey. How did your exam go?”

Will smiled, as he made his way over to the counter, where Sonny was standing. “Pretty good I think. I was able to answer the extra credit question. So that should help me maintain my A average.”

Sonny smiled and leaned over the counter to give Will a kiss. “I didn’t know my boyfriend was so smart.”

Will puckered up and accepted the kiss, before sitting down. “If this is the reward for good grades, I’ll have to remember to keep them up.”

Sonny had just finished making a customer’s hot chocolate and was walking it over to them. “I get off cheap. I made out pretty well with my parents, when I had a good report card.”

Will watched Sonny as he walked away. “The more A’s the more the stakes go up.”

Sonny smiled at his customer, as he put the cup on the table, then went back over to Will. “What kind of stakes?”

Will spun around in his seat, to follow Sonny as, he made his way back behind the counter. “I don’t know. One A a kiss. Two A’s a full make out section. Three A’s…”

Sonny reached over that grabbed Will’s hand to stop him. “Wait a minute. You keep this up and you’re going to have me in bed.”

Will leaned in closer to Sonny and placed his hand on top of pile. He whisper and nodded. “That’s the plan.”

Sonny chuckled and kissed Will again. “You don’t need good grades for that.”

Will sat up, pretty pleased with what Sonny had said. “That’s good, because, I’m not sure if I can pull out more than 3.”

Sonny laughed, just as Sami came in. “Hi Will.”

Will turned and looked at him mom. “Hey mom.”

Sami gave Will a nervous smile and then turned her attention to Sonny. “Hi Sonny.”

Sonny let go of Will’s hands and stood up. “Hello Ms. Brady.”

Sami smiled wider. “There’s no need to be formal. You can just call me Sami.”

Sonny nodded that he understood. “Okay Sami. I got some things to get from the back. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Sami watched, as Sonny walked away, then turned back to her son. “He’s really cute.”

Will frowned at his mother. “Is that why you’re here? To spy on Sonny?”

Sami bit her lip. She knew that was exactly the reason, but she didn’t want to admit to it. “Of course not.”

Will tilted his head at his mother. “Come on mom. That’s exactly why you’re here.”

Sami knew better than to think that she could fool her son. “Alright, but what do you expect. I still don’t get why you felt the need to keep it from me.”

Will held his hands out and moved them up and down to show his mother the exact reason. “This. This here. You drop by the coffee house, just to see my boyfriend. If I wasn’t here, would you have grilled him. Asked for his social security number, so that you could do a background check.”

Sami stepped meekly towards her son. “Do you think he’ll give it to me?”

Will was shocked. “Mom!”

Sami laughed. ‘I’m kidding. Really, I just came to get a cup of coffee. I saw you in the window, so if I wanted to spy on your boyfriend, I wouldn’t have done it with you here. I told you that I’m okay with it and I am. As long as Adrienne behaves.”

Sonny came from the back room. He walked over to Will and put his arm around his shoulder. “I think that won’t be a problem. She knows how I feel about your son.”

Will smiled up at Sonny. “You told her?”

Sonny smiled back at Will. “I did it last night and she is fine with it.”

Sami was pleased. She had had her fill of run ins with Adrienne Kiriakis and she was more than ready for another. “That’s great. I guess I was worried for nothing.”

Will was kind of surprised by the information. He looked back at his mother. “I guess so.”

Sami order a large coffee and Sonny made it for her and offered it to Sami on the house, but she refused. She waved to the boys and left.

Will turned back to the counter. “So your mom didn’t have any problems with us dating.”

Sonny got very serious. “I didn’t exactly say that.”

Will was confused. He frowned at Sonny. “I thought you said that she’s fine with us?”

Sonny nodded, as he reached over and took Will’s hands. “She has her concerns about you, but I told her how I feel and that I want her to give you a chance and not just base her opinion on what she’s read in the papers.”

Will was crushed. He should have known better than to think that Adrienne would accept him at face value. “So what do I have to do? Get a signed letter from the head guy at the detention center?”

Sonny smiled and patted Will’s hand. “I don’t think that will be necessary.”

Will let out a heavy sigh. “Then what am I suppose to do. Its not like I can just make what I did go away.”

Sonny agreed. “I know. My father is the one that made the suggestion.”

Will frowned at his boyfriend. “Okay. What?”

Sonny bit the inside of his lip. He knew that the idea made his stomach churn, so he could only imagine what it would do to Will. “He suggest that we go to my parents house for dinner tonight.”

Will sat back and ran his hands over his face, as he shook his head. “I’m doomed.”

Sonny grabbed Will’s hand and pulled it from his face, as he smiled and walked around the counter. “No you’re not. She going to love you just as much as I do.”

Will shook his head. “I can’t see that. You’re mother hates my mother and I don’t think that she cares much for me either.”

Sonny got serious. “She laid out all of her concerns and I shot down every one of them. I told her that I really care about you and that you make me happy. She’s going to give you a chance. So just be yourself and I’m sure that it will be fine.”

Will wasn’t so sure. He got up off the stool and started to go, but Sonny grabbed his hand. “Where are you going?’

Will turned back and give Sonny a quick peck on the lips. “If I’m going to the Kiriakis mansion for dinner, I better get dressed. If nothing else, I want to make sure, my clothes pass inspection.

Sonny laughed as Will made his way out of the door.   
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had met Sonny at the coffee house so that they could both arrive at the mansion together. Will was more nervous than the time that he was caught cheating on a test in 6th grade and his grandmother Marlena had to pick him up. Most times he loved how calm she was, when everyone else seemed out of control, but he learned that day, that wasn’t always true. She made you almost wish that she wasn’t so calm, because you never knew just when he was going to lay into you.

Will stopped at the end of the driveway and fussed with his tie. “How do I look?”

Sonny stopped and straightened Will’s tie for the third time. “If you would stop pulling on it, it would be fine.”

Will started to adjust the tie again, but saw Sonny watching him and decided to stop. “I can’t help it. I hate wearing a tie. It makes me feel like I’m going to choke.”

Sonny started towards, the house. “You won’t choke.”

Will followed behind Sonny and mumbled. “If I don’t, maybe I can use it later and hang myself.”

The butler let Sonny and Will in and led them into the parlor. Will whispered to Sonny, after the butler left. “Don’t you have a key?”

Sonny shook his head. “I’ve never had a key. I only lived here for a little while and the butler always let me in.”

Will had only been in the Kiriakis mansion a few times, when his grandmother was married to Victor. He looked around. “I always thought this place was creepy, because I was a little kid. Its still creepy.”

Sonny could tell that Will was nervous, so he took his hand. “Their antiques and very expensive, so don’t break anything.”

Will took Sonny’s hand with both of his. “Great, now I’ve got something else to worry about. Where are your folks?”

Just as Sonny was about to answer Will, Justin and Adrienne came into the room. Justin had a warm smile on his face. “Thanks for coming to dinner boys.”

Sonny smiled at his dad and mother. “Thanks for having us. You remember Will.”

Will put out his hand to shake Justin’s hand and Justin took it. “Nice to see you again Will.. Sorry for such short notice.”

Will shook Justin’s hand firmly. He remembered that his father always told him that was the way to show that you were sincere. “Its nice to see you too. I’m glad I could make it. Its been awhile since I’ve been in the Kiriakis mansion.”

Adrienne chimed in. “You’re talking about when Kate was married to Victor.”

Will smiled at Adrienne. She seemed pleasant enough, but everything she said, always seemed to have a hidden meaning. “Yes. I remember living here with my dad. I was always in trouble for running down the halls.”

Adrienne whispered under her breath. “So it started early.”

Justin put his arm out to show the way. “Cook said dinner should be ready soon. What do you say we adjourn to the dining room?”

Sonny placed his hand on Will’s back, so that he could go in front of him. “I’ll have to admit that I’m starving. I hope we have those potatoes like last time.”

Justin gave his wife a quick glance, before following the boys. “Your mother knows what you like.”

Adrienne watched as the 3 men left. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, then let out a big sigh and followed them.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Soup and salad was mostly small talk. Sonny talking about his plans for the coffee house, while Adrienne hung on his every word. Will was fairly quiet through it all, then the talk turned to football. Justin took a sip of his wine. “It’s still too early in the season for me to be overly confident. The Bears have let us down before. Do you watch football Will?”

Will nodded. “I’ve gotten back into it. I didn’t watch much when I was away.”

Adrienne felt the need to chime in. “While you were away? It sounds like you were traveling the globe.”

Will turned his attention to Sonny’s mother. “I guess you’re right. I wasn’t.”

Sonny put his hand on Will’s leg and Will turned his attention back to Justin. “I didn’t watch much, while I was in detention.”

Justin glanced at his wife, who quickly went back to her salad, then he went back to the original subject. “You a Bears fan?”

Will was playing with the lettuce on his plate. He looked up. “Yeah I am. My Uncle Eric and I have a rivalry. He likes the Packers.”

Justin put down his glass. “I won’t hold that against him. If you two want to go to a game, the office has season tickets.”

Sonny got excited and patted Will’s hand. “That would be amazing. Thanks dad.”

Will was just as impressed. “Yeah. Thank you Mr Kiriakis.”

The server came in to clear the dishes for the main course. “I’ll see that someone brings in more wine.”

Justin nodded, as she left. “So what are you studying Will?”

Will adjusting the napkin on his lap. “Business. I guess it seemed to make the most sense. My grandmother and father are working together at the cosmetic company.”

The server came in with a new bottle of wine and began to fill the glasses. They were about to pour some in Will’s, when Will stopped her. “I’m only 19. I don’t drink.”

Adrienne watched him. “We’re at home, so if you want to.”

Will shook his head. “I’m not really a drinker.”

Adrienne frowned. “Not ever?”

Will remember back to the times he overindulged. “I wouldn’t say that, but not very often.”

Adrienne watched as they placed her plate in front of her. “That’s probably good. I read that alcoholism is hereditary and with your father’s history…”

Sonny decided to stop his mother, right then and there. “Mom…”

Will put his hand on Sonny’s leg to stop him. “That’s okay. My dad did some terrible things when he drank, but I’m proud to say that he’s been sober for 8 years. Something that he AND Aunt Maggie are proud of. Having gone through it herself, she was a great support system for him. She’s another example of how people change.”

Sonny smiled at Will and placed his hand on top of his under the table. Justin just ate his meal. 

The rest of the meal had been uneventful. The boys chatted with Sonny’s father and Adrienne was pretty quiet for the rest of the evening. 

Will had an early class the next day and Sonny had to open the coffee shop, so they decided to make it an early night. Sonny held Will’s hand, as they walked to his car. “I’m really proud of you.”

Will frowned at his boyfriend. “Why? Did I use the right utensils for everything?”

Sonny laughed, as he pulled Will’s hand up and held it close to his heart. “No silly. The way you handled my mother. She was trying to rattle you, but you didn’t let her.”

Will stopped and pulled his hand from Sonny. He turned and began to play with the lapels on Sonny’s jacket. “There are so many things that my family has done, that I’m not proud of, but my father getting control of his drinking problem is not one of them. I was so scared, that when I went away, he would lose it, but he didn’t, but thank you for trying to defend me.”

Sonny leaned in and kissed Will gently. “I’ll always defend you, glad I didn’t have to this time. I better get you home.”


	16. Everything You Wanted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny feels that Will might have missed out on things, spending high school in a juvenile detention center, but it turns out that there was only one thing that Will was missing.

Sonny and Will spent time together, but with work and school, it didn’t seem like enough. Sonny had promised Will a surprise for the weekend, but since he was half asleep when he did it, Will had forgotten all about it. 

There was a knock on the door and Will went to open it and was pleasantly surprised. “What are you doing here?”

Sonny walked in, after Will moved to the side. “I promised you a surprise this weekend.”

Will frowned, as he closed the door and followed Sonny to the sofa. “You did? When?”

Sonny turned to face his boyfriend. “When we were talking on the phone the other night.”

Will thought back to the night on the phone. A smile spread across his face, as he remembered how it ended, but the rest of it was kind of fuzzy. “I don’t remember that.”

Sonny smiled and stepped closer to Will, as he placed his hands on his chest. “You were pretty tired that night. I could imagine that you forgot a lot of what we talked about.”

Will put his hands around Sonny’s waist and pulled him in close. “I remember quite a bit actually. Did I ever thank you?”

Sonny smiled and kissed Will gently. “I should do the same. I’ve never done phone sex before.”

Will was kind of surprised. “Really. How about sexting?’

Sonny didn’t think that he needed to let Will in on all his secrets. “I’m not saying.”

Will stepped back. “Really?”

Sonny felt the need to change the subject. “Soooo, are you ready for your surprise?”

Will narrowed his eyes at Sonny. “There’s obviously a lot I don’t know about you Mr Kiriakis.”

Sonny didn’t think it was time to explain. He grabbed Will’s hand and headed for the door. “Maybe later. Grab your coat and lets go.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne came into the mansion and Justin was sitting in the parlor, going over some papers from a case. “Hi there.”

Justin looked up from his papers. “Hi. I thought you were suppose to have dinner with Jennifer.”

Adrienne walked over to get a drink. “I did too, but she made plans with that Daniel Jonas. I don’t see what she sees in him.”

Justin turned the page of the file. “Jack’s been gone for a while. Its got to be hard on her.”

Adrienne walked over to the sofa with her drink and sat down. “I know. Jack might be my brother, but I know how hard it can be with him. Its just that it seems, that everyone I care about is getting involved with…”

Justin put down the file and frowned at his wife. “I thought we were past this.”

Adrienne took a drink. “I am. Will wasn’t what I expected. He’s nothing like his mother. He actually takes responsibility for his actions. I still worry about Sonny getting hurt.”

Justin went back to his papers. “That comes with the territory. We hurt each other a lot before we got it right. Remember?”

Adrienne shook her head as she thought back on all that she and Justin had been through. “Do I. That doesn’t keep me from wanting to keep my son from following our path.”

Justin finally put the papers away in his briefcase. “Sonny is happy. Will really seems to care about him. It has to take its course. We can’t stop it.”

Adrienne nodded, as she finished her drink. “I guess you’re right.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny pulled into a parking spot and turns off the car. Will looks out the window. “A bowling alley?”

Sonny gets out of the car. “Yeah. I thought it would be fun.”

Will slowly opened the door and looked at the neon sign, as it flashed B-O-W-L and got out of the car. He walked over to Sonny, who was on the sidewalk pressing the button for the doors to lock. “I haven't’ bowled since I was 13.”

Sonny put his hand though Will’s arm and lead him towards the door. “There’s a lot of things you missed being locked away during your high school years. I thought we could revisit one of them.”

Will frown at Sonny, as they reached the door and he opened it to allow Sonny to go in first. “Okay, but I was never very good.”

Sonny smiled as he went through the door. “I can give you some pointers. I averaged 210 in high school.”

Will followed Sonny to the counter. “I didn’t know bowling was big in Dubai.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had just put on his shoes and was remarking at how fashionable they were, when T walked over to him. “Will. I thought that was you.”

Will turned and hugged his friend. “T. Hi. Are you here on a date?”

T pointed over his shoulder. “I’m here with some of the guys from the frat house.”

Sonny walked over carrying two bowling balls. “Hey T.”

T smiled at Sonny. “Okay that’s too easy.”

Will smiled at his friend. “Yeah it is. Glad to see that you’re above that.”

T chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that. Are you two on a date?”

Sonny put the balls in the holder. “Not really. I thought Will might have some fun. He hasn’t done anything like this, since he went away.”

T hit Will on the arm. “Didn’t you tell him that you suck at bowling?”

Will frowned at his friend, as he held his hand over the spot, where his friend hit him and acted like he was in pain. “I didn’t suck.”

T figured that he should give Sonny some advice. “If you say so. If I was you Sonny, I would make sure that I’m not behind him when he releases the ball.”

Sonny smiled. “I’ll remember that.”

Will had enough of his friend’s teasing. “Why don’t you go back over to your frat brothers.”

T shrugged. “Hey, I was just looking out for Sonny. He doesn’t know how big a klutz you are. I would think that you would be grateful.”

Will raised his hand, as if he was going to hit T. “Get out of here.”

T held his hands up to protect himself, just in case his friend decided to let him have it. “I know when I’m not wanted. I’ll go back to my real friends.”

Sonny was amused by Will and T’s banter. He waved at T as he left. “See you later man.”

Will had to admit that T was right. He did suck at bowling. “I hope you didn’t believe everything that he said, but I do have to warn you, that the thing about me dropping the ball is true.”

Sonny walked over and put his arm around Will’s waist and kissed him gently on the lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure that you don’t hurt me or anyone else.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
T walked back over to join his friends. One of the guys had just finished his turn and had noticed T over with Will and Sonny. “Hey, who's that?”

T glanced over his shoulder. “Its an old friend.”

The guy picked up his drink. “You want to ask them to join us?”

T shook his head and sat down in the booth at their table. “Nah. He’s on a date.”

The guy looked over just as Sonny was standing behind Will and trying to give him some pointers. “Date? Are they waiting for the chicks to show?”

T shook his head. “No. He’s with the dark haired guy.”

The guy realized what T was saying. “Oh he’s gay.”

T took a sip of his soda. “Yeah.”

The guy became very interested. “How long have you known the guy.”

T shrugged his shoulders and glanced over at the guy that was currently up. “We’ve been friends since jr high, but he got sent off and just got back this last summer.”

The guy leaned on the back of the booth. “Really. Did they send him away because he was gay or something?”

T frowned and shook his head. “No, it was nothing like that. I didn’t even know. He was just like everyone else. He just told me a little while ago. Actually, I found out from some friends and I asked him about it. It really freaked me out at first.”

The guy nodded. “I bet. It would freak me out if I found out one of my friends was gay.”

T looked up at the guy. “I’m okay now. He’s with Sonny and they seem happy. That’s what’s important.”

The guy looked over his shoulder again. “Sonny?”

T nodded and smiled. “Yeah. He owns the coffee house in town. You should check it out.”

The guy took a sip of his beer. “Maybe I will.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had managed, with Sonny’s help, to not completely embarrass himself bowling. He smiled at his scorecard, as they walked to their table. “130, isn’t bad. “

Sonny pulled out Will’s chair for him to sit down. “No. You had a rocky start, but you started to get the hang of it.”

Will put the card back in his pocket. “I’d rather not think about that first game. Its like the lane was tilted. After the 4th gutter ball, I wanted to give up.”

Sonny reached over and touched Will’s hand. “...but you didn’t. If we had played a few more, I think you would have gotten even better.”

Will looked at his thumb. “No. The 3 games were plenty. Those balls are murder on your hand.”

Sonny held his hand out and Will placed his inside, then Sonny looked at it.. “You should have told me. We could have gotten you a different ball.”

Will shrugged. “They’re probably all alike.”

Sonny nodded as the waitress came over. “Pretty much, but some feel better than others.”

Will and Sonny talked, as they ate their dinner. “What other things did you miss while you were away.”

Will put a fry in his mouth, as he tilted his head up and thought. He then looked at Sonny and reached his hand over to touch his. “I don’t know. Since I’ve been with you, I haven’t wanted anything else.”

Sonny smiled and pulled his hand away. “You are quite the sweet talker. You don’t have to say things like that.”

Will’s shoulders dropped. He didn’t understand why Sonny didn’t take him seriously. “I’m not sweet talking you. Okay, maybe I am, but it’s because I really like you. A lot.”

Sonny had tried to take it slow with Will. He had been immediately attracted to guys before and then when they finally got together, they would fizzle out. “I like you too. That’s why I thought you might like to date a bit. It was really romantic when you brought me the rose.”

Will smiled, as he remembered how Sonny reacted. “I thought you would think it was corny.”

Sonny reached across the table and brought Will to him for a kiss. “I would never think that anything you do is corny.”

Will smiled and went back to eating. “The evening is still young. I wouldn’t be so sure of that.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lucas and Kate had worked late to finish up a project. Sami had told Lucas about Will dating Sonny. “So what do you know about this Sonny Kiriakis.”

Kate cleared the files off of her desk. “Not much. Adrienne was pregnant with him when she and Justin moved to Texas. They traveled a bit and they were in Dubai before he decided to travel around Europe.”

Lucas sat in the chair across from Kate’s desk. “When did he do that?”

Kate stopped and thought for a moment. “I don’t really know. I know he was there, just before he moved back. I’ve been in the coffee house a couple of times. He seems really nice and he’s very cute.”

Lucas adjusted his position in his chair. When Will told him he was gay, he was taken off guard, but as Will continued to talk to him, he realized that it really wasn’t about him, it was about his son and all he wanted, was for him to be happy. “If you say so. I wouldn’t know much about that.”

Kate frowned at her son. “What are you talking about? I was just making an observation. You don’t have to be uncomfortable about it.”

Lucas shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m okay with Will being gay. I get that he’s the same kid that he always was. Maybe if I hadn’t lost the last 4 years, but it seems too soon for him to be getting involved with someone.”

Kate walked around to the front of her desk and leaned on it. “Someone or a man?”

Lucas looked up at his mother. “Mom, lets be real, as a straight guy, it makes me uncomfortable. But putting that aside, when you thought about me sleeping with the first girl that I was serious with, didn’t it make you feel uneasy?”

Kate crossed her arms over her chest. “If you’re referring to Sami Brady. It made me sick to my stomach.”

Lucas knew that his mother never liked Sami. “Okay, she wasn’t my first. I guess I’m just worried for him. I don’t want him to get hurt. He hasn’t been back that long. I just don’t know anything about the guy.”

Kate kind of understood. “I think that’s sweet, but he’s got to live his life and that sometimes leads to hurt.”

Lucas frowned at his mom. “Remember that, the next time you butt into my life.”

Kate stood up and went back to packing up her things. “I did what I thought I had to do to protect you and I almost lost you several times. I don’t regret the things that I did. In the end, Sami did break your heart, but I never would have gone about it the same way.”

Lucas let out a sigh. His mother was right. They were okay now, but there were moments when he wished that she was dead. “You’re right. I don’t want to meddle in Will’s life.”

Kate smiled and nodded. “Will is going to be fine. He didn’t rush into this and from what you told me, Sami said that he’s happy. That’s all we can ask for.”

Lucas thought about what his mother said. “He is. One thing about Will liking men, Sonny breaks his heart, I won’t think twice about beating his ass.”

Kate laughed. “I don’t think it will come to that.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had his hand on Sonny’s leg most of the way home. He watched as he unlocked the door to his apartment and opened. Sonny stepped to the side to let Will in and Will quickly took his head in his hands and pulled him into a kiss.

Sonny was taken off guard, but once he realized what had happened his moved his hand up to the back of Will’s head. When Will pulled away, he looked at him briefly, before again pulling him back to his lips.

Sonny slowly let go and Will settled back and looked at him. “I just wanted to get that out of the way.”

Sonny smiled. “Anytime.”

Will walked into the apartment and Sonny followed him and closed the door behind them. “Can I get you something to drink?”

Will walked over to the bed and turned around and sat at the foot. “I’m fine.”

Sonny thought for a second. “We can watch a movie. I pick up ‘Bridget Jones Diary’.”

Will held out his hand. “All I need is you. Come here.”

Sonny walked slowly over to Will and took his hand. He looked down at him. “I want you so bad.”

Will smiled up at Sonny. He didn’t know what to expect, but he knew that Sonny would make it special and that was all he cared about. “Then I think we should stop the small talk, because I’ve wanted you since you picked me up at my apartment.”

Sonny stepped back, but Will caught his belt to keep him from getting too far. “I wish you wouldn’t say that.”

Will was confused. Being with Sonny was all he thought about. “I don’t get it. Don’t you want me?”

Sonny stepped closer to Will and held his face in his hands. “I think I wanted you the first time I saw you.”

Will smiled up and Sonny. “Now’s your chance.”

Sonny ran his thumb over Will’s lips. “I don’t want it to be about sex.”

Will’s smile faded. He took Sonny’s hands from his face and held them in his hands. “It never was. You are everything I’ve ever wanted, but never had. I just want you to know how I feel about you.”

Sonny looked into Will’s eyes. He was searching for something. Doubt, fear, anything, but none of those things where there. So he did the only thing he could think of. He pulled his hands from Will’s and grabbed his face, pulling him into a kiss. 

Will moved his hand to the back Sonny’s head and pulled him slowly on top of him on the bed. Sonny smashed against his lips and Will pulled back, to adjust his position, before pulling him in again. Sonny moved his hand down and wrapped it around Will’s waist. 

Their exchange was heated, as they continued to seek out each other’s lips through their brief attempts to get air. Sonny pulled back. “Maybe we should move up on the bed.”

It took Will a second to figure out what Sonny was saying, as he stared at him, his mouth open, as it tried to bring much needed air into his lungs. He began to move back on the bed. “Okay.”

Sonny watched him, then crawled up between his legs to meet him. Will leaned forward and grabbed his head to again pull his lips onto his. Sonny stayed up and began to pull at Will’s shirt. Will realized what he was doing. He let go and pulled it over his head, as Sonny began to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Will got his shirt off and reached for the button’s on Sonny’s shirt to help him. When the buttons were done, Will grabbed Sonny’s shirt and pulled it off his shoulders, as Sonny fought to get his arm out. “Next time, wear something that’s easier to get off.”

Sonny smiled, as he finally freed his arm and brought his hand to the side of Will’s face to capture his lips once again. He pushed Will back on the pillow, never breaking the kiss. Will began to kick off his shoes and Sonny did the same. He tried to move from beneath Sonny, but Sonny held him close.

He gave up the battle and pulled Sonny on top of him. He wrapped one arm tightly around Sonny’s back, while his hand slid down his spine and followed it down, eventually resting beneath the waistband of his pants, his middle finger caressed the space at the top of his cheeks and Sonny moaned into his mouth.

Sonny pulled up and Will slowly opened his eyes. They both stared at each other, then Sonny moved over next to Will and began to undo his pants. Will sat up on his elbows and watch him for a second and then began to do the same, along with his socks.

Will laid down and Sonny rested on his elbow next to him. He ran his thumb over his lips, and Will raised his hand to the back of his head, to bring him down to him. Opening his mouth and offering his tongue. Sonny ran his hand down Will’s body and began to stroke his cock. 

Will let out a moan and pulled Sonny in even deeper into the kissed. He let go and watched as Sonny reached over him to the drawer of the nightstand. He placed a tube of lube and a condom on the bed next to Will. Sonny placed his hand on Will’s chin and turned his head to look at him. “Don’t think about that. Just think about how you feel and how much I love you.”

Sonny kissed Will gently on the lips and then made his way down his body. He grabbed a pillow and placed it under Will’s hips, then gently kissed the inside of his thighs, as Will’s legs began to shake. “Relax.”

That was easier said than done, because all Will could think of, was what was to come. “I’m not sure if I can.”

Sonny got up and straddled Will, with one leg on either side of his waist. His cock resting on his belly. “I guess I freaked you out a bit. Let’s start again.”

Sonny leaned down and kissed Will gently on the lips, as he rocked his hips forward, brushing his cock against the soft hairs on Will’s belly, He moved to Will’s ear. “Can you feel what you do to me?”

Will was breathing hard. He let out a breathy. “Uh huh.”

Sonny sat up and took Will’s hand, He placed it on his cock and held it there, as he continued to thrust forward. The sight of Sonny pleasuring himself, before him turned Will on even more. 

Will bent his legs and matched Sonny’s rhythm, the tip of his cock brushing up against Sonny’s backside..

Sonny watched Will. His head was back and his eyes were closed. Sonny reached for the lube and coated his finger, then reached behind and began to stoke Will’s hole. Will moaned. “Ooooo”

Sonny continued circling Will’s hole and when he felt that Will was ready he slid a finger in. Will began to stroke Sonny’s member and Sonny matched him, pushing his finger deeper and deeper. “You like that?”

Will licked his lips and nodded. “Yeah.”

Sonny wanted Will so bad, but he knew that he wasn’t ready. “We’re almost there.”

Sonny watched Will, as he added a second finger and again began to move in and out of him, making sure to hit the spots that brought Will the most pleasure. He repeated that process with a third.

Will moved his hips to meet Sonny’s fingers. “I want you.”

Sonny gave Will the condom and Will placed it on his cock, as Sonny slowly removed his fingers from Will. He repositioned himself, so that he was between Will’s legs and placed his cock at Will’s entrance. Will’s head fell back and he closed his eyes, which made Sonny stopped. “Look at me.”

Will lifted his head and looked into Sonny’s eyes..Wanting nothing more than to be with him. “I love you.”

Sonny looked deeply into Will’s eyes, as he slowly began to push inside of him. “I love you too and I always want you to remember this moment.”


	17. A Sticky Situation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny continue to explore their new relationship, but later plans are going to have to wait.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The beginning scene in this chapter may seem familiar. In a story like this, its fun to throw in bits from what has been seen in the show. I think it helps make you see the real characters in these situations a bit more easily. Hope you enjoy my interpretation of the scene. :)

Sonny and Will laid side by side, the sheets tangled around them. After being so close to Sonny, Will still felt the need to be connected, so he gently ran his fingers down Sonny’s palm, then intertwined them with Sonny’s and held his hand.

 Sonny had just recovered and was still very sensitive, so the feeling of Will’s fingers on his palm, sent tingles through his body. Once Will’s hand was in his, he quickly brought it to his lips and kissed it.

 He looked at Will, who seemed deep in thought. “You okay?”

 Will was still amazed by what had happened and wasn’t sure what he felt. He shook his head. “Okay might be too mild.”

 Sonny became worried. He remembered his first time, how alive he felt, but Will didn’t seem to be feeling that way. He seemed more subdued. Maybe it was still too soon. He began to play with with Will’s arm. “You know, you don’t have to pretend…”

 Will didn’t want Sonny to feel that something was wrong. He had just had the most amazing experience of his life. It was just taking awhile for him to take it all in. There was only one way he could think of to describe it. “It was perfect.”

 Sonny smiled at Will. Did he really hear him right?  “It was?”

 Will could barely move. His body had been taken to a new height and his mind was still trying to make it out of the fog the it was in. Perfect might have even been an understatement, but he nodded. “Oh yeah.”

 Sonny still seemed quiet. Will knew that he had been with others before him. He started to think that maybe his worry was more about how he felt about what had just happened. “How about you?”

 Sonny didn’t bother to answer, he turned to his side and pulled Will in close. “Come here and I’ll show you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lucas decided to stop by the coffee house before stopping by the office. He was disappointed to find out the Sonny had taken the morning off. He smiled at the barista, as he picked up his coffee to leave. “Thanks.”

Adrienne had just come in. She saw Lucas and wanted to leave, but she had promised that she would try and get along with Will and his family, so she decided not to. “Good morning Lucas.”

Lucas turned and saw Adrienne, not one of his favorite people. She was a busybody, but if her son was dating his, he had to at least try and be civil. “Adrienne? Morning. Your son seems to have quite the business here.”

Adrienne beamed with pride. If there was one thing that she could always talk to people about, it was how well her son was doing. “Why yes. If I’d known that a coffee house would be successful, I would have converted the Cheatin’ Heart years ago.”

Lucas took a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know. I remember some good times at the Cheatin’ Heart”

Adrienne remembered the times that Lucas stopped by the club. “I do remember you enjoying yourself.”

Lucas frowned at Adrienne. “That was a long time ago.”

Adrienne nodded that she understood. “Don’t get me wrong Lucas. I’m glad you were able to get your drinking problem under control. I’m sure while Will was gone it was hard on you. I don’t know what I would do if I lost one of my kids. I would have tried to perjure myself too, if it meant keeping them out of jail”

Lucas was starting to get angry. “What are you trying to say?”

Adrienne felt that she was only telling the truth. “Nothing. I just understand what you were going through.”

Lucas didn’t think that Adrienne understood anything. “Do you? My son was 14. Too young to have his life ruined, because his parents had screwed up. I would much rather have done the time, instead of Will.”

Adrienne didn’t agree with Lucas. “I do understand why you would do that, but Will did something that his mother has never done. He admitted to what he did wrong. I might have had reservations about Sonny dating him, but that showed courage. He’s obviously better than his parents in that regard.”

Lucas shook his head. Adrienne was giving his son a compliment, but it was backhanded at best. “Anyone would be lucky to be with my son. At least Will’s past is common knowledge, who knows what yours was doing in Europe. Goodbye Adrienne.”

Before Adrienne could reply, Lucas walked past her and out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will and Sonny had fallen asleep wrapped in each others arms. Sonny woke up, his head on Will’s chest. He snuggled in closer to him. “Morning.”

Will had awakened minutes before and loved the feeling up Sonny draped over him. He was lazily playing with his hair. Will kissed his head, when he realized that he was awake. “Morning yourself.”

Sonny began to push up. “We probably should be getting up.”

Will wrapped his arm around Sonny’s shoulder to bring him back. “I’m not ready to move yet.”

Sonny kissed the side of Will’s chest and moved to his pillow. “Aren’t you hungry? We haven’t eaten since last night.”

Will sucked on his lip and thought for a second. “Okay, I guess I am, but I don’t want to leave the apartment.”

Sonny lifted up on his elbow. “I took the morning off, but I do have to go in. I can see what I have in the fridge, but I can’t promise you anything fancy.”

Will threw back the covers and hopped out of bed. “I’m not picky. I do need to pee though. I’ll be right back.”

Sonny smiled as he watched Will race off. “You could have put on your underwear.”

Will darted into the bathroom and then peeked back out. “Why? I’m just going to take them off again.”

Sonny smiled, after Will disappeared again and then jumped out of the bed and went to the kitchen.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny was right, when he told Will that he didn’t have much in the house to eat, but he was able to put something together.

Will came out of the bathroom and climbed back into bed and Sonny indulged him, by letting him eat there. Sonny hadn’t really gotten dressed either, but had put on an apron when he was cooking. One major rule of the kitchen, naked and cooking didn’t mix.

 Sonny was sitting at the bottom of the bed, as Will took the last piece of pancake and ran it around his plate to get the last of the syrup. Sonny watched as he shoved it in his mouth. “You WERE hungry.”

 Will licked a bit of syrup that was on his finger. “I guess I was. Those were good though. I wasn’t expecting a big breakfast.”

 Sonny took a swig of his water. “It was just pancakes. I bought the mix last week, I had a craving for them. I forgot that I had it.”

 Will put the plate on the nightstand by the bed. “Aren’t I the lucky one.”

 Sonny smiled and point at Will’s chin. “And the messy one. You missed a spot.”

 Will grabbed his napkin and dabbed at his mouth. “Did I get it?”

 Will was successful, but he looked so yummy that Sonny couldn’t help himself. He leaned forward licked the dimple in Will’s chin, then ran his tongue around his lips to get all the stickiness off. Making his lips moist, so Sonny leaned in for a soft, slow kiss. He then sat back in his spot. “I think that’s got.”

 Will suck his bottom lip, as he stared at Sonny. He hoped to get a repeat performance. “Are you sure?”

 Sonny looked Will over. “I think so.”

 Will reached over and grabbed the string on Sonny’s apron, undoing the bow that held it on. “Good, because I’m hungry for something else.”

 Sonny got up and crawled up on the bed and leaned in to kiss Will again. “So am I.”

 Will pulled the apron over Sonny’s head and threw it on the floor. He grabbed him by the waist and pulled him down on the bed next to him. He put his hand on the side of Sonny’s face and pulled him into a kiss. “Mmm. Seems that you missed a spot too.”

 Sonny licked his lips and tried to clean his face with his head. “Where?”

 Will threw the sheet off and turned to pick up the small container of leftover syrup. He then held it above Sonny’s chest. “Right here.”

 Sonny watched, as Will poured the sticky liquid on one side of his chest and then the other, covering his nipples. “How do you plan to clean that up?”

 Will smiled as he wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “I think I can handle it.”

 Will got up on his knees and leaned down to kiss Sonny on the lips, he then kissed around to his ear and down his neck, before moving to his left nipple. Running his tongue around it and sucking it until it was hard.

 Sonny moaned and began to run his hand through Will’s short blonde hair, encouraging him to continue, which Will gladly did. He licked and sucked Sonny’s nipple clean, then began to squeeze it between his thumb and forefinger, as he moved to his right one.

 Sonny was at Will’s mercy, as he began to run his fingers up and down Will’s spine.

 Will had let Sonny show him the pleasures of being with another man, but now he wanted Sonny to feel as good as he did the night before. He could feel Sonny’s cock throbbing beneath his balls, so he knew that he was succeeding at his mission. It didn’t hurt that he was getting turned on too.

 Will adjusted his position so that his cock was in line with Sonny’s and began to move his hips back and forth, so that they rubbed against each other. He lifted up and watched Sonny, his eyes were closed, but when he felt the distance, he moved his hand between them, to increase the friction.

 Will grabbed his hand and stopped him. Sonny’s eyes opened and looked at him. Will leaned in close and whispered. “Let me do all the work this time.”

 Sonny relaxed his hand and allowed Will to continue exploring his body. Will smiled when he saw that Sonny was giving his approval and kissed him gently on the lips. He lifted a leg and Sonny let his fall open. Will placed his leg between Sonny’s and started to kiss down his body, as he did the same with his other leg.

 Sonny watched him as he made his way off the edge of the bed and he frowned. “What are you doing?”

 Will was well aware of what he wanted, but wasn’t sure how to get there. He wrapped his arms around Sonny’s legs and pulled him to the edge. “I’m not quite sure yet.”

 Sonny smiled and was about to make a suggestion, when Will pushed his legs forward and began licking his hole. He realized Will didn’t need his help, as his head fell back, when Will found his intended target . “Damn.”

 Will smiled, as he continued using the tip of his tongue to circle and lap at Sonny's opening, eventually sticking the tip in.

 Sonny was more than ready for Will, as he pulled at the sheets of the bed, but he let him continue what he was doing. He reached down and began to jerk himself off.

 Will was just as excited. He used his hand and worked his own cock and wanted to get Sonny ready for him, but he realized that he had forgotten the lube on the nightstand. He put his finger in his mouth to wet it and then slowly began to slide it in. He looked up and saw Sonny working his cock and kissed the inside of his thigh. “You like this?”

 Sonny nodded. “Yeah.”

 Will leaned up, so that he could lick and suck Sonny’s balls. Sonny continued to stroke his cock. He reached down and ran his hand through Will’s hair. He was breathing hard. “I want you Will.”

 Will looked up at Sonny, he now had 2 fingers in his hole, but he still didn’t have the lube, so he got nervous. “Okay babe. Just a minute.”

 Sonny frowned. He wasn’t sure if he heard Will right. He continued to work his member, as he lifted his head. “What do you mean, just a minute?”

 Will knew that he had blown the moment, but he had to get the lube. He kissed up Sonny’s thigh, as he got up from the bottom of the bed and slid his fingers out. “I forgot the lube and condom.”

 Sonny’s eyes rolled back, as his head fell back on the bed. “Fuck, is that all. You could have asked me to give it to you.”

 Will picked the tube of lubricant and a condom off the nightstand. His heart was in the right place, but he obviously was feeling bad that things kind of came to an abrupt halt. “You looked so into it,”

 Sonny reach up and ran his hand over Will’s belly. He was caught in the moment and realized that he might have sounded harsh. “You do that to me.”

 Will smiled, as he made his way back to the bottom of the bed. “Then it shouldn’t be that hard to get you there again.”

 Will ran his fingernails down the inside of Sonny’s thighs and positioned himself back between his legs. Sonny watched him for a second, but the minute his tongue touched his already sensitive hole, there was little doubt that Will was right.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny had told his staff that he would be in by noon, but he and Will got carried away, so it was after 1 by the time he showed up. He was feeling bad and rushed into the coffee house. Sarah was behind the counter. “Sorry I’m late.”

 Sarah waved him off and smiled at Will, who instead of being happy for the extra time was apologetic. “I’m so sorry Sonny.”

 Sarah picked up the cup of coffee she had made and was taking it to a customer and smiled at Will, as she walked past. “Don’t worry about it Will. Sonny is a great boss. He’s covered for me so many times, that I don’t mind returning the favor.”

 Will smiled at Sarah, as she left, then turned his attention back to Sonny. “No really. It wasn’t what I had planned at all.”

 Sonny continued to check the receipts and catch up on what he had missed in his absence. “Will I told you, it was great.”

 Will checked to make sure that no one was in earshot and then leaned on the counter and whispered. “Are you sure? You seemed like you were into it at first, but then…”

 Sonny put the receipts in an envelope and leaned in towards Will. “I came twice.”

 Will frowned, as he thought about what Sonny had said. That wasn’t what had Will concerned. “I know, but you got up so fast the second time.”

 Sonny noticed Sarah heading back. He picked up a cloth and began to clean the counter. “I had just looked at the clock and was late.”

 Will noticed Sarah, as she walked behind Sonny to the coffee machine on the far side. “Are you sure that was all?”

 Sonny put down the cloth and grabbed the envelope. He called over to Sarah. “I’m going to put the receipts in the safe. I’ll be back in a minute.”

 Sarah smiled over her shoulder. “Okay.”

 Sonny walked around the counter and grabbed Will’s hand, to pull him with him. “Come with me.”

 Will could tell that Sonny was irritated. He frowned, as he walked behind him. “Fine. As long as you tell me the truth.”

 Sonny walked into his office and threw the envelope on his desk. He turned and waited for Will to come in and pushed the door close behind him.

 Will watched him. “Okay, I’m here. You going to tell me what happened earlier?”

 Sonny still had the same intense look on his face. After a few seconds, he shook his head and grabbed Will by the head, pulling him into a kiss.

 Will was caught off guard, as the kiss pushed him up against the door. He slowly lifted his arms up and wrapped them around Sonny’s neck.

 Sonny deepened the kiss, when he could tell that Will had relaxed and was reciprocating. He finally pulled back and continued to hold Will’s head in his hand. “I don’t want you to ever think that my time with you isn’t the most amazing time of my life.”

 Tears started to fill Will’s eyes. “...but I ruined the moment and you were laughing.”

 Sonny stepped back. “Is that what this is about? You were beyond adorable, when you were trying to figure out what to do. Yeah, I was caught off guard, but you more than made up for it. Remember..twice. If anyone should be worried, it should be me.”

 Will finally listened and became kind of proud of himself. “Don’t be. I think we are even after last night.”

 Sonny went to get the envelope and put it in the safe. “I don’t think we should feel like we have to be even. We should just do what we feel. No rules and no pressure.”

 Will watched Sonny, as he finished up his work. “I guess. Do you want to get back together tonight?”

 Sonny walked over and placed his hands on Will’s chest. “I’d love too, but since I was late, I probably should close tonight.”

 Will nodded. “That’s fine. I’ve got some homework, that I should probably get done. Plus I need to answer to my mom. She’s not going to like that I was gone all night and didn’t call. Her and my brother and sister, are going to make it hard to get anything done.”

 Sonny smiled at Will and reached in his pocket. “I might have an idea.”

 Will watched as Sonny took out his keys. “I probably won't be back to my place before 11, so its empty. You can go and study there, after checking in with your mom. Then I can quiz you when I get home.”

 Will took the key from Sonny. “I like that idea.”

 Sonny kissed Will and then opened the door. “I’ll see you later then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will was right about his mother and siblings. When he got home, everything was chaotic. He was glad that Sonny had given him his key.

 He told his mother where he was going and then made his way to Sonny’s. He opened the door with the key that Sonny had given him and walked inside. The bed was still a mess from when they left. He thought about changing the sheets, but then figured, why bother, since they would just end up messing up a new set. “Awfully presumptuous of you Horton to assume that he would want to make love again.”

 He did make the bed and then sat at the table to do his homework.

 It had been a few hours and Will had broken his pencil and was looking for another one in Sonny’s desk. He happened upon a photo album. He took it out and looked at it. “Looks like pics from his time in Europe.”

 Sonny had told him about his time in Europe, but he was still curious. Will took the album and went over and sat on the bed, as he began to look through it. “Lets see what you were up to while you were running around Europe, Jackson Kiriakis.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sarah had left at 8 and the place had been pretty slow. Will had text Sonny to tell him that he was at his place and all he could think of was him laying on his bed. Sonny shook his head, to clear his thoughts. “Give it up Sonny, if you were there he wouldn’t get any studying done.”

 There was 10 minutes left before the shop closed and he was just about to clean up the coffee pots, when he heard the door opened and turned around to see who it was.

 Three guys came in. They looked like college students. One went to the bathroom, while another stood by the door. The last one walked up to the counter. “Hey.”

 Sonny smiled and wiped off his hands on the towel. “What can I get for you? I should tell you that I don’t have a lot of the things on the menu, but I can mixed up any of the flavored ones, from regular.”

 The one guy wasn’t gone long and came out of the bathroom. “Are you done?”

 The man at the counter talked over his shoulder. “Not yet. The guy wants to know if we want coffee.”

 Sonny looked at the 3 men and realized that they weren’t just regular customers. He put up his hands. “I don’t know what is going on here, but this is a coffee shop.”

 The man reached over the counter and grabbed Sonny’s shirt, as the other man walked around the counter. “I don’t want anything from people like you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will looked at the clock, then looked back at an adorable picture that he had found of Sonny. He was on some beach and was in the water, his hair slicked back and his body wet from the surf. He ran his finger over the image. “Can’t wait til you get home.”

 Will thought for a second, then hopped off the bed. “Maybe I’ll take a shower before he gets here.”


	18. A Punch In The Gut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will finds out what has happened to Sonny

It was late and Adrienne was on her way home. She rushed through HTS and noticed that the lights were still on in the coffee shop. She stopped and thought for a minute. “I haven’t see Sonny all day. Justin will just have to wait.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will came out of the bathroom and dried his hair He picked up his phone to check the time and see if Sonny had called. It was 11:30 and he knew the coffee house was closed, but thought that maybe Sonny got caught up in paperwork. 

He decided to give him a call. “Voice-mail. Damn. Hey Sonny, maybe you’re on your way home already. It was getting late and I was done with my studying and missed you. See you when you get home. Love you.”

Will smiled at the phone and threw it on the bed and went back into the bathroom to finish getting dressed.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne got to the door of the coffee house and noticed that it was ajar. The lights were still on, but she didn’t notice anyone inside. She pushed it open and walked in. “Sonny?”

Everything was quiet, as she looked around the room. She peeked over the counter and didn’t see anything. Then she stepped back and decided to check the bathrooms. When no one was in them, she decided to take out her phone to call Justin, when she heard someone moaning. 

She rushed around the counter and saw Sonny crumpled on the floor. There was blood coming from his mouth and head. “Oh my god.”

Adrienne rushed to her son, but because there wasn’t much room, she couldn’t get close to him. She climbed over him and bent down on the floor near his head. “Sonny? Baby. It momma. Wake up.”

Sonny winced and moaned, but didn’t open his eyes. Adrienne rubbed the side of his face. “Don’t move. It’ll be okay. Just relax.”

Adrienne looked for her phoned and didn’t find it. She got up and saw it at the end of the counter and reached to get it, then pushed the speed dial. “Damn it. Pick up. Justin, thank god. Sonny has been hurt. He’s at the coffee house and I can’t get him to wake up. Call an ambulance and get here right away.”

Sonny raised his hand to his head and tried to open his eyes. Adrienne saw him and bent back down next to him. “Its okay. I’m here. Just lay there, an ambulance should be here soon.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had gotten dressed and was sitting at the foot of the bed. He looked at his phone and frowned. It was almost midnight. “Why hasn’t he called back?’

He called Sonny’s number again and again it went to voicemail. “Okay, I’m starting to freak out a bit. I really don’t want to sound like a needy boyfriend, but I’m worried. Can you please call me?”

Will looked at this phone. Sonny’s smiling face looking back at him. He bit his lower lip and thought. He grabbed his coat and headed for the door, as he dialed Sonny’s number again. “If you get his, I’m coming to the coffee house. I’ll see you when I get there,. If you get back to your place and I’m not there, please call me. Love you.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne was holding Sonny’s phone when it rang. She saw Will’s face and number pop up and tried to answer, but Sonny’s phone was locked. She knew that she should let Will know what was going on, but at the moment, all she could think of was her son. 

Justin came down the hall. “What happened?”

Adrienne set Sonny’s things and her purse down on the chair and got up. Tears in her eyes. “I don’t know. I found him unconscious behind the counter. I just happened to stop by. I hate to think about what might have happened if I hadn’t.”

Justin frowned at his wife. “No one was there?”

Adrienne shook her head. “The door was open, so someone must have been there. I looked all over, but didn’t see anyone. I only found him because he started making noises.”

Justin ran his hand over his face, as he thought about what could have happened. He grabbed his wife and pulled her to him. “He’s going to be okay.”

Adrienne was about to question her husband’s conclusion, when Cameron came out. “Mrs and Mr Kiriakis.”

Adrienne sucked her lip, as she watched the doctor. She patted Justin on the chest, because she couldn’t bring herself to ask the doctor how her son was. Justin understood what his wife wanted. “How’s Sonny?”

Cameron was serious. “I won’t lie. He was beat up pretty bad, but I think he’s going to be fine. I’ve ordered some x-rays. It appears he has a couple of broken ribs, but there doesn’t seem to be any internal damage. I’ll know better after I get the test results back.”

Adrienne was relieved, but she was still concerned. “There’s no head injuries? He was unconscious when I found him.”

Cameron checked Sonny’s chart. “There is a bump on his head, but that might have been from the fall to the the ground. Its not severe enough that it would indicate that he was hit in the head. We’ll watch him though.”

Justin understood. “Is he awake? Can we see him?”

Cameron tucked his file under his arm. “We sedated him, so that he wouldn’t be in a lot of pain, when we did the test, so he’s pretty groggy. He probably won't even know that’s you’re there, but you can go in and see him.”

Adrienne and Justin made their way to their son’s room. “Thank you so much Dr Davis.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will arrived at the coffee house and was shocked to see police cars outside. He immediately panicked and made his way to the door, but was stopped by a police officer. “I need to get in there.”

The officer held his arm tightly. “Authorized personnel only. This is a crime scene.”

Will looked at the officer in horror. “Crime scene? What the hell happened?”

The officer didn’t answer the question. He just pulled Will back, so that he was in front of him. “Not your concern. You just need to stay back.”

Will looked over the officer’s shoulder and saw his Aunt Hope. “I’m Commissioner Brady’s grandson and the officer in charge is my Aunt Hope. Just ask her.”

The officer held up his hands. “Fine. Stay here.”

Will anxiously waited for the officer to return.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Cameron was right, Sonny was pretty out of it. Adrienne sat by his bed and ran her fingers through his hair. “Who would do this to you?”

Justin put his hand on his wife’s shoulder. “I don’t want to think about it, but you said that nothing seemed out of place. Maybe…”

Adrienne couldn’t bare the thought of what her husband was about to say. She shook her head. “I don’t believe that. Sonny’s had the coffee house for several months now and he’s never had a problem. Maybe it was a robbery attempt and when I showed up, they ran off.”

Justin squeezed his wife’s shoulder. “Adrienne, you said that you didn’t see anyone. We have to face the facts. Sonny’s gay and as wonderful as he is, there are people that don’t like that.”

Adrienne didn’t want to believe her husband. “Not here. Not in our town.”

Sonny began to stir. He didn’t open his eyes “Wha...What hap...”

Adrienne didn’t want her son to strain. She put her hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. You’re going to be fine. I’m here.”

Sonny relaxed, after hearing his mother’s voice, but he had one more concern. “Will…”

Adrienne looked up at Justin and then back at her son. The sedative had taken over and he was back asleep. “Don’t worry. Just rest.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The officer came back and let Will in. He walked into the coffee house and looked around. Except for the police officers checking every inch of the place, nothing really seemed out of place. He spied his aunt behind the counter. “Aunt Hope, what happened?”

Hope looked up from the officer that was down on the ground, after giving him his final instructions. “Get that to the lab right away. It’s probably Sonny’s, but maybe we’ll catch a break. Will I’m glad you’re here.”

Will tried to see what the officer was doing, but Hope pushed him back. “What’s going on?”

Hope was concerned, not for Sonny, she had received word that he was fine, but because of the situation. “First let me say that Sonny is going to be alright. I heard that you two are seeing each other.”

Will was able to breathe for the first time since he had left Sonny’s place. He didn’t want to admit it, but Sonny not replying to his call had him worried. ‘“Okay, so what happened?”

Hope pointed to the cash register. “It appears to be a robbery. The register was empty, but I can’t imagine Sonny not just giving up the money. They beat him up pretty badly. I’m wondering if there is more to this then it appears.”

Will frowned at his aunt and shook his head. “What do you mean? Where’s Sonny?”

Hope put her arm around her grand-nephew and led him away from the place where Sonny was found. “He’s at the hospital and as I said, he’s going to be alright. I’m just wondering if you might have noticed anything.”

Will had no clue what Hope was talking about. “Anything like what?”

Hope shrugged. “I don’t know. Anything? People watching you or people hanging around the coffee house, that looked suspicious.”

Will wasn’t getting what Hope was saying. “I don’t know. It’s a coffee house. There are people in and out of here all the time. We went out yesterday. Bowling, dinner. I wasn’t paying attention to anyone, I just paid attention to Sonny.”

Hope smiled. She was well aware how new love could be. She patted Will on the shoulder. “I get it. Why don’t you go to the hospital, I’m sure Sonny will be happy to see you.”

Will watched his aunt. He had a feeling that there was something that she wasn’t telling him. He started to go, but then came back. “Do you think that this was because we’re gay?”

Hope didn’t want to assume something that she had no proof of. “I don’t know. I just have to look at it from all angles. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

Worry was Will’s middle name. How could the idea that Sonny might have been attacked because he was gay not worry him. They spent an amazing evening together. How could someone see them and decide to do this to one of them? Let alone Sonny. Will didn’t want to think about it now. He wanted to see Sonny. “Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

Hope watched her nephew, as he left. She prayed that she was just being thorough and that it was only a robbery, like it seemed.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Justin finally convinced Adrienne that they should leave. They were leaving his room, when she stopped. “I don’t like leaving him, but I guess you’re right.”

Justin put his hand on his wife’s back to lead her to the elevator. “I know I am. It’s late, but we should call Will in the morning.”

Adrienne stopped and frowned at her husband. “Why should we do that?”

Justin was confused by his wife’s statement. “One he’s his boyfriend and two, Sonny was asking for him.”

Adrienne tried to play off the last part of her husband statement. “You don't know that.”

Justin bit his lip and shook his head. “I know you heard him when he said Will.”

Adrienne nodded. “I did, but I don’t know if he was talking about Will or about to ask a question and you don’t either.”

Justin didn’t want to admit that his wife might be right, but there was one thing that was undeniable. “Fine, but he is still his boyfriend.”

Adrienne couldn’t deny that. “You’re right. We’ll call him in the morning. Why don’t you go bring the car around. I want to talk to the nurse, so they will call us the minute he wakes up.”

Justin kissed his wife on the cheek before going to get on the elevator. “Okay. See you in a bit.”

Adrienne watched as her husband got on the elevator, then waited for the nurse to come over. She explained that they were leaving and made sure that she had their contact information, then headed to the elevator.

She was about to push the button when the door opened and Will walked out. He was happy to see her. He managed to give her a pained smile. “Hi Mrs Kiriakis. I just heard about Sonny. Is he okay?”

Adrienne wasn’t happy that Will was at the hospital. “How did you find out?”

Will didn’t think that it was necessary to go into detail. “My aunt Hope told me. She was handling the investigation.”

Adrienne should have known that a Brady would be overseeing things. There were far too many of them at the police station, which is probably why Will was treated as well as he was. She was curious about what she had found. “Really? Did they find anything?”

Hope had said not to worry about it and Will didn’t want to worry Mrs Kiriakis anymore than necessary, so he just gave her the basic facts. “The cash register was cleaned out, so she thinks it was a robber.”

Adrienne was relieved. “Really? Anything else?”

Will really wanted to see Sonny. “They were still going over stuff. I don’t really know anymore than that. Can I see Sonny?”

It took all that Adrienne had in her to not just say no. “His father and I were just leaving. They gave him a sedative, so he’s sleeping. He’s doing fine.”

Will knew that sleep was probably what was better for Sonny, but after finding out the way that he did about him being hurt, he still felt the need to see him. “I won’t stay long. I just want to see him. See that he’s alright.”

Adrienne put her arm around Will to steer him towards the elevators. “He’s fine. Mr Kiriakis and I were in there with him and he is sleeping peacefully and will be until morning. The doctors say that he’s going to be fine, so you should just go home. He’ll be awake tomorrow and then you can see him.”

Will got the feeling that Sonny’s mother didn’t want him to see Sonny, but he didn’t want to make a scene. He would do like she said and come back in the morning. “Okay.”

Adrienne road the elevator down with Will and they went their separate ways when they got to the lobby. Justin saw Adrienne with someone, as he waited for her in the car and was curious. “Who was that?”

Adrienne put on her seat belt and glanced back into the building. “Oh that was Will.”

Justin pulled away from the curb. “Really? Glad he heard, now we won’t have to call him in the morning.”

Adrienne looked out the window. “No. He wanted to see Sonny, but I told him to come back in the morning.”

Justin continued driving. “That’s probably for the best. Sonny wouldn’t even know that he was there.”

Adrienne nodded slightly. “That was what I thought.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had gone back to Sonny’s place. He wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do, but he didn’t feel like going home. He might have woke his mother up and then have to answer all sorts of questions that he wasn’t prepared for.

He didn’t sleep well. He laid in the bed, that he had shared with Sonny the night before. A night that they took and gave of one another, until they couldn’t anymore. It was all that he thought he needed and now it was all he wanted. Sonny to be there with him again.

Sonny’s mother had said that he was fine. He wanted to believe her, knowing how she felt about her son, deep down Will knew that she was telling the truth, because if anything was wrong, she would never have left him. Still he wished that he had seen for himself. Even if he was a sleep.

Visiting hours didn’t start until 9 and it was only 7:30. It couldn’t have been much, but he must have gotten some sleep. The last time he looked at the clock it said 4:15.

Will decided to give up. He sat up and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I should get a shower.”

He got out of bed and was heading for the bathroom, when he heard someone knock.

He stopped and stared at the door for a minute. “Who could that be?”

He was going to ignore it, when he heard his mother call. “Will, are you in there?”

Will closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh. He was hoping to avoid his mother, but obviously that wasn’t going to happen. “Just a minute.”

Will grabbed a t-shirt and threw it on with his sweats, then walked over to open the door.”

He blew out another breath and decided that he was as ready as he was ever going to be, so he opened the door. He tried to be casual. “Hey mom.”

Sami was frantic, as she walked into the apartment. “Hey? Did you hear what happened?”

Will closed the door and tried to figure out if his mother really wanted him to answer the question. He decided to just go for the obvious. “Yes.”

Sami frowned at her son. “You do? Then how can you stand there so calm? Have you seen him? Is he okay?”

Will held up his hands to stop his mother’s rambling. “He’s fine and no I haven’t seen him. I was going to see him this morning.”

Sami didn’t know how her son could be so calm. “You haven’t seen him? How do you know he’s okay then?”

Will walked over to his mother. “I stopped by the hospital and his mother told me. He was sleeping.”

Sami began picking lint off her son’s shirt. “That’s good. I heard it on the nes this morning and I knew that you said you were coming here. I was scared at first that you were there with him, but they said he was alone.”

Will stepped away from his mom. He couldn’t stand her fussing over him like a mother bird. “Yes he was alone. I was here.”

Sami smiled, as she turned to follow her son. “That’s good.”

Will spun on his heels to confront his mother and lost his temper. “Good? If I was there, this might not have happened. He was alone mom. They have no clue who did this, but they beat him. They beat Sonny mom!”

Sami realized that her son wasn’t thinking straight. “I know that you are hurting, but as you said, they don’t know who did this. There’s no way of knowing that you could have stopped this. It might have been worse. Now, you can help him through it.”

That was the one thing that Will could agree with his mother about. “I am going to help him through this. I’m just glad it wasn’t worse.”

Sami smiled. “So I am. Adrienne must be beside herself.”

Will shrugged. “She seemed pretty good when I saw her. I better get my shower and get over there. Visiting hours are in an hour.”

Sami gave her son a hug. “I’ll get going. Tell Adrienne how sorry I am and tell Sonny I love him.”

Will let his mother out and hurried to the shower.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will got to the hospital a little after 9. He walked up to the nurse’s station. Maxine was the head nurse. Will had met her a few times. She always seemed so mean, but Will saw her in the nursery smiling at the newborns, so he knew she had a softer side. She just didn’t let it show. “Hi. I’m here to see Sonny Kiriakis.”

Maxine gave Will the once over. “And you are?”

Will smiled. “I’m his boyfriend Will.”

Maxine gave Will a sly smile, as she picked up a file. “Are you now?”

Will nodded. “I am. Can I go see him?”

Maxine continued to look at the chart. Her smile slowly faded. “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that.”

Will frowned at the nurse. “Why not?”

Maxine put down the chart. “There is still a criminal investigation and we have a list of people that we can let in. That way we can make sure that no one that goes in to see Sonny is going to hurt him.”

Will wasn’t sure what that had to do with him. “I can understand that, but I’m his boyfriend. He would want to see me. Just ask him.”

Maxine sympathized with Will. “I wish I could, but he’s still sleeping. Talk to his parents, they can put you on the list.”

Will was getting frustrated. He knew that it wasn’t Maxine’s fault, but this all seemed kind of ridiculous. “That’s fine. Have you see them?”

Maxine pointed over Will’s shoulder. “There’s his mother now.”

Will turned and looked over his shoulder, as Adrienne stepped off the elevator.


	19. Angels and Demons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny is awake, but forces keep him from seeing clearly. Will wants to see Sonny, but he will need help to overcome a major obstacle.

Will turned around and walked over to Adrienne. “Good morning Mrs Kiriakis. I was just talking to Maxine and they won’t let me see Sonny unless I’m on a list.”

Adrienne walked away from the earshot of the nurse’s station. “Yes, something about the investigation.”

Will frowned and followed her. “Yeah, but that has nothing to do with me.”

Adrienne turned and stopped. “I’m not so sure.”

Will was shocked by her statement. How could she think that he had anything to do with Sonny being hurt. “I was waiting for him at his apartment.”

Adrienne didn’t expect to hear that. She knew that Sonny had become close to Will, but she had no idea it was that close. She turned away from Will. “I didn’t need to know that.”

Will walked around Adrienne so that she could see him. “Yes you do. Sonny is my boyfriend and we love each other. I would never hurt him and I want to be with him. He needs me.”

Adrienne shook her head. “He doesn’t need you. Sonny has had that coffee house for months, with help from me and his father I might add, then he starts dating you and this happens. How do I know it wasn’t someone trying to get back at you.”

Except for EJ, Will had never hurt anyone in his life. “I don’t have any enemies. Except for my family and Sonny, I don’t really hang around anyone.”

Adrienne crossed her arms over her chest. “Since you’ve been home. Maybe this is one of your friends from before.”

Will frowned at Adrienne. “Before when? You mean when I was in detention?”

Adrienne stood her ground. “You can’t walk away from your past.”

Will had hoped that Adrienne had gotten over what he had done, but now she was holding it against him. “Hope said that it was a random robbery. It had nothing to do with me.”

Adrienne frowned at Will. She wasn’t so sure. Trouble is never far behind, when you are dealing with Sami Brady and her offspring were probably the same. “You mean to tell me that none of the people that you were locked up with stole anything?”

Will couldn’t deny what she was saying, but there was one thing that she couldn’t deny. “Sonny loves me and when he wakes up, he’ll want to see me.”

Adrienne began to leave. “When he wakes up, he will be able to make his own decisions, but until then, I do.”

Will shook his head as he watched Adrienne walk off. “I can’t believe this.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne went into Sonny’s room. Sonny was starting to stir. She walked over to his bed and he turned towards her. He spoke in a raspy whisper. “Mom.”

Adrienne ran her fingers through her son’s hair. He reminded her of when he was a little boy and he would be home sick with a fever. Adrienne smiled. “Hey there. You had me worried.”

Sonny tried to move, but the pain from his broken ribs wouldn’t allow it. “What happened?”

Adrienne pulled a chair up to the side of the bed. “Don’t you remember. I found you passed out behind the counter at the coffee house.”

Sonny tried to remember. “Coffee house…That’s right, I was about to close.”

Adrienne smiled and place her hand on Sonny’s shoulder. “That’s right. It was late. You seemed to be alone.”

Sonny nodded. “I was. Sarah had gone home. What were you doing there?”

Adrienne ran her fingers through her son’s hair again. “Does that really matter. I’m just glad that I was. Otherwise, I just don’t want to think about it.”

Sonny lifted his hand and placed it on his mother’s, which was resting on the bed. “I’m fine. I’m just having trouble remembering what happened.”

Adrienne started to get up. “I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m going to get the doctor to come check on you.”

Sonny watched his mother, as she left. “I wonder where Will is.”

Sonny looked around his bed for his phone, but he didn’t see it. He let out a sigh and crossed his hands on his lap. “Guess I’ll have to wait until my mother comes back.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne went up to Maxine. “Hi Maxine. Sonny’s awake. Can you call the doctor to come in?”

Maxine was never one to mince words. “What do you say I call Will too? Its not right that you won't let him see Sonny.”

Adrienne put her hand on the desk and became very serious, as she leaned closer to the nurse. “Do you have a child Maxine?”

Maxine nodded. “I do. I have a son in college.”

Adrienne nodded, and smiled coolly. “That’s good. Have you ever walked in and found your son unconscious and been scared to death that he might be dead.”

Maxine shook her head. “No, but..”

Adrienne cut her off. “Then you don’t get to tell me anything about taking care of my son. Will you please get the doctor now?”

Maxine watched Adrienne as she went back into Sonny’s room. She mumbled, as she picked up the phone to page a doctor. “She’s in for a rude awaking.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will left the hospital and was wandering around HTS, when Neil came up to him. “Will? Is that you?”

Will wiped his face before he turned around. “Neil? How are you?”

Neil could tell that Will was upset. “I’m fine. How are you?”

Will nodded, almost uncontrollably. “I’m..I’m fine.”

Neil frowned at the guy, who had called him by another man’s name, at a most inopportune moment. “Like hell you are. I read in the paper about Sonny? How is he?”

Will turned away from Neil, because he obviously wasn’t able to hide his emotions. “Um...fine.”

Neil didn’t want to pry, but he could tell that Will was upset. “Are you sure? The papers didn’t say much, just that he was found in his coffee house. I went by there and its all taped off.”

Will talked over his shoulder, as he played with his ear. “Yeah. I was by there and they are still investigating.”

Neil tried to look at Will, but he kept his head tilted towards the ground. “That’s good. Do you know what they think happened?”

Will finally turned back towards Neil and looked up at him. “The cash register was empty, so they assume it was a robbery.”

Neil had heard this story before. “Assumed? That’s sounds like a cover up.”

Will was shocked by Neil’s reaction. “What are you trying to say?”

Neil had always known, that he was gay. Kids would pick on him in school and the teachers would always attribute it to something other than what he knew it really was. “I’m saying, the ‘assumed burglary’ is just code for a hate crime.”

Will shook his head. Although he thought that was what Hope suspected, there was no reason to think that was what really happened. “It was late and he was alone. Sonny’s place is always packed. He’s got customers that come in everyday. He’s friendly with everyone and everyone loves him.”

Neil thought that Will was fooling himself. “You’ve been out for how long? A month or two? I came to Salem for school and I almost left after my first year. There are people here who will smile in your face and then two seconds later stab you in the back. Its not politically correct to be a homophobe in this day and age, so they are becoming sneakier.”

Will frowned at Neil. How could he be so distrusting?  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Adrienne had stepped out into the hall while Cameron checked Sonny over. She was looking through her purse for a kleenex and found Sonny’s phone. She looked at it and sighed, as she remember it buzzing when Will called.

Adrienne pushed the button and looked at the screen, as it waited for the security code to be entered. “What could it be?”

She thought for a second and then put in Sonny’s birthday. When that didn’t work, she thought again.

Sonny was always forgetting the combinations to things. His locker at school and his bike. She remembered telling him to keep it simple and make it something that would be easy to remember. She looked at the phone again. “What would he think would be easy to remember.

She got an idea. Could it be? “4, 7, 3, 1. Bingo.”

Adrienne let out a breath and then checked Sonny’s messages. She deleted the text from Will, then checked his voicemail and deleted the message that Will had left when she noticed the phone before. “I know I shouldn’t do this, but this might be my only chance to rid Sonny of Will Horton.”

Justin came off the elevator and walked over to his wife. “Why are you out here?”

Adrienne stood up and put the phone back in her purse. “Hey. Dr Davis was checking Sonny out, so I thought I give him some privacy.”

Justin smiled towards his son’s room. “He’s awake?”

Adrienne smiled and nodded. “Yeah, just a little while ago. He’s still in pain from the ribs and he seems fuzzy on what happened last night. He does remember staying to lock up, but not a lot more.”

Justin let out a sigh. “Maybe he hit his head harder than the doctor thought.”

Adrienne nodded. “Maybe.”

Justin looked at Adrienne’s purse. “Were you calling Will?”

Adrienne wasn’t sure what Justin was talking about. “What? I told you I saw him last night.”

Justin pointed at Adrienne’s purse. “I saw you putting your phone away, when I was getting off the elevator”

Adrienne looked down at her purse. “Oh no. I was just checking my message while I was waiting.”

Justin nodded, that he understood, just as Cameron came out of Sonny’s room. He decided that talking to the doctor was more important. “So how’s the patient?”

Cameron smiled. “He’s doing as well as can be expected. He took a bigger bump then I thought, so I want to run one more test, just to make sure that I didn’t miss anything, but I wouldn’t worry about it. He’s alert and everything else seems fine.”

Adrienne was still concerned. “So you think you will be keeping him here for awhile?”

Cameron’s phone vibrated and he checked it. “I think we will run the test and if they come back okay, he should be able to go home tomorrow.”

Adrienne smiled. “That’s great.”

Cameron put his phone away. “I have to go check on another patient. They’ll be taking him up, so you guys can take a break for a bit.”

Justin smiled at Cameron as he left, then turned to his wife. “I wanted to see Sonny, but I have to get back to the office. You should call Will and let him know that Sonny isn’t going to be around for a while.”

Adrienne smiled and nodded. “I’ll let him know. I think I’ll run to Brady’s and get a cup of coffee. The coffee here is terrible.”

Justin kissed his wife on the cheek. “I know how you love your coffee. Sonny will be up and around again in no time. Brady’s isn’t bad, but they don’t have all that fancy stuff, that I know you like.”

Adrienne chuckled. “You know me too well.”

Justin headed for the elevator. “Yeah I do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will didn’t believe what Neil was saying. He shook his head and walked around him. “You are trying to say that one of Sonny’s customers did this?”

Neil turned around and followed Will. “No. I’m just saying that just because people come in and buy coffee and are nice, that doesn’t mean that they are all warm and fuzzy about him being gay. Sonny doesn’t hide it, but he doesn’t exactly flaunt it either.”

Will turned around to look at Neil. “My aunt did ask me if I saw anyone suspicious at the coffee house.”

Neil stepped closer to Will. “ And did you?”

Will shook his head. There was no reason to think that anything like this could happen. “No. I told you, everyone was always nice. We went on our first date last night.”

Neil smiled at Will. Things didn’t go the way that he planned with him, but he could tell that he was a nice guy. Even if he wasn’t into the coupley thing, Neil was always happy when people found it and it seemed that Will had with Sonny. “Maybe someone saw you.”

Will thought back at their amazing night and shook his head. “That would make it even worse. Its not like we were alone. We went bowling and I talked to a friend and then we went to dinner, but it was a place where people know us. How are you suppose to pay attention to everyone. If you are right, there is some sicko out there that set his sights him. I don’t want to believe that.”

Neil let out a sigh. “I know man, its hard to believe. Who knows, maybe they're right and it was just a robbery. I probably shouldn’t have even mentioned it.”

Will wiped his face. “Don’t worry about it. Its not like I didn’t think about it myself.”

Neil walked up and gave Will a hug and kissed him on top of the head. “The important thing is that he’s going to be alright?”

Will welcomed Neil’s hug. “Yeah it is. I just need to see him that’s all.”

Adrienne came through the square and saw Will and Neil, as Neil was comforting Will. “Well, well, well what do we have here?”

She ducked behind a tree and watched.

Will stepped back from Neil and looked up at him. “I’m sorry I’m being like this. I was just sideswiped and I haven’t really had a chance to take it all in.”

Neil reached over and wiped a tear from Will’s face. “Don’t apologize. You battle your own demons when you come out and then you realize that the fight isn’t over. Its not easy.”

Will nodded as he wiped at his nose. “I seem to have other demons.”

Neil frowned. “What kind?”

Will let out a sigh. He had never wanted to admit it, but after what had happened earlier, it couldn’t be denied. “The mother kind.”

Neil was confused. “Yours?”

Will shook his head. “Sonny’s. She’s trying to keep me from seeing him.”

Neil couldn’t believe what Will was saying. “Sonny’s been out for awhile I heard. Why would momma bear be baring her claws?”

Will didn’t to go into details. “Its not that he’s gay, it's me.”

Neil put his arm around Will and walked him out of the square. “Well, then she doesn't know who she’s messing with does she. I think you should make your way back to the hospital.”

Adrienne ducked around to the other side of the tree when she saw them approaching.

Will smiled, for the first time. “You’re right she doesn’t. I’m glad I ran into you Neil.”

Adrienne couldn’t really hear what Will and the guy were talking about, but she did hear his name, as they walked off. “I don’t let you see my son and you go running into someone else's arms? I always knew that you were just like your mother, Will Horton.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After his pep talk from Neil, Will decided to go back to the hospital. Maxine was still at the station. “I wish you were here earlier.”

Will walked over to the nurse’s station. “Why?”

Maxine put away the files on the desk. “He was out here for test. I can’t let you in his room, but if you happen to run into him in the hall, there’s nothing I can do.”

Will let out a sigh. “He’s got to be a wake though. You can go in and ask him.”

Maxine nodded. “Yeah I could, but with you running off like you did, I wasn’t sure if you still wanted to see him.”

Will talked in a loud whisper. “Of course I do. I can’t believe his mother wouldn’t let me in to see him.”

Maxine put away her last file. “Mrs Kiriakis, seems to have a warp vision of what being a parent means, but needless to say that doesn't change that she is his mother and when he wasn’t in a position to speak for himself, she did. They just brought him back. I’ll go talk to him.”

Will smiled, as he watched Maxine leave. “Thanks.”

Maxine walked into Sonny’s room. Sonny was tired after his test. He frowned when he saw her. “Please don’t tell me that I need more test.”

Maxine took down the blood pressure cup. “I do need to take your blood pressure, but no more test. They said that you can go home tomorrow.”

Sonny’s head dropped back on his pillow. “Thank god. Nothing against you. I hate being confined like this.”

Maxine smiled, as she took his pulse. “I won’t take it personally. I have some good news for you.”

Sonny perked up. “What’s that?”

Adrienne came into the room. “Don’t spoil the surprise.”

Maxine turned and rolled her eyes at Adrienne. “Surprise? You have a surprise for Sonny?”

Adrienne walked over to her son. “Yes. I stopped and picked him up a milk shake. What did you think I was talking about?”

Maxine, wasn’t going to be outdone. “I was talking about his visitor.”

Adrienne frowned. “Visitor? I didn’t see anyone, when I came in.”

Sonny sat up. “Is it Will?”

Maxine looked down at Sonny and patted him on the arm. “Maybe I was mistaken. I better get back to the nurse’s station.”

Adrienne stepped out of Maxine’s way and handed Sonny his milkshake. “We wouldn’t want to keep you.”

Sonny looked up at his mother. “What was that all about?”

Adrienne pulled up a chair and sat next her son’s bed. “We had a disagreement about your treatment. She doesn’t like to be told that she’s wrong.”

Sonny sucked on his milkshake. “She’s my nurse. You shouldn’t make her mad, she might poke me with a needle or something.”

Adrienne smiled and patted her son’s arm. “I’m sorry, but you won't have to worry about her much longer. Dr Davis said that you’re going home tomorrow.”

Sonny wasn’t very happy. “Maxine told me, but have you seen Will?”

Adrienne licked her lips, she wasn’t sure how to handle the situation. She figured that she would be as honest as she could.

Sonny was getting impatient with his mother. “Did you hear me?”

Adrienne nodded. “Of course sweetie. Yes I saw Will.”

Sonny got excited. “Here? Is that what Maxine was talking about?”

Adrienne was mad at Maxine. What did she think she was doing, trying to undermine her with her son. “I don’t know what Maxine was talking about.”

Sonny could tell that something was off with his mother. “Mom, something is wrong. Is it Will?”

Adrienne could tell that she was getting Sonny upset, but for this to work it was for the best. “Calm down Sonny. Remember your ribs.”

The last thing that Sonny wanted to do was be calm. There was obviously something going on with Will that his mother didn’t want to tell him. “How am I suppose to do that, when there is obviously something that you are keeping from me.”

Adrienne wanted to tell Sonny, but she didn’t want him to hurt himself. “I’m not going to tell you anything if you’re going to be like this.”

Sonny laid back and closed his eyes. He did his best to calm down. “Okay. I’ll stay calm.”

Adrienne wasn’t sure if she believed her son. “I don’t know Sonny. I’m sure it was nothing.”

Sonny wanted to scream, but he knew if he got upset again, his mother would never tell him what she saw. He turned and looked at her, as he touched her hand. “I promise I will stay calm. So you saw Will. Where?”

Adrienne took a breath and let it out. “I saw him in HTS.”

Sonny wasn’t sure what the fuss was about. “Okay. Was he alone?”

Adrienne shook her head.

Sonny became worried. He tried to remained calm. Whatever happened, his mother seemed to not want to tell him about it. “So he wasn’t. Was he with a…a man?”

Adrienne nodded and acted anxious. “You know I wasn’t very close. I barely heard anything.”

Sonny’s mom trying to make things seem like nothing, worried Sonny even more. “What were they doing that has you worried.”

Adrienne sucked her bottom lip, as the tears began to wail up in her eyes. “I told you I wasn’t very close.”

It was taking everything in Sonny to stay calm. “Were they talking?”

Adrienne nodded. “Mostly.”

Sonny thought for a second and frowned. “Mostly? What else were they doing?”

Adrienne shrugged. “The taller guy was blocking my view, but it seemed like they were…”

Sonny’s mother stopped. “Were what?”

Adrienne let out a sigh. “Hugging. Yeah they looked like they were hugging.”

Sonny didn’t like how his mother was acting. “You weren’t going to say that.”

Adrienne started to plead with her son. “Why don’t we just forget about it. You’re getting agitated.”

Sonny was beyond agitated. “So he was hugging some guy in the middle of HTS, did you recognize him?”

Adrienne shook her head. “No, I don’t think I know him, but the way he touched Will it seemed like Will did.”

Sonny closed his eyes, to calm himself down. “Touched him? How?’

Adrienne let out another sigh. “He touched his face and then he put his arm around him as they left.”

Sonny couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His mother must have been mistaken. “Maybe you just misinterpreted things. You don’t know the guy, it could have been anyone.”

Adrienne nodded. “Exactly. I did hear his name though.”

Sonny wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it, but he asked anyway. “And what was it.”

Adrienne watch her son. “Neil.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Maxine came out of Sonny’s room and looked for Will. She didn’t see him at first, but she found him sitting in the waiting area. “What are you doing over here? Adrienne just came in and blindsided me.”

Will nodded. He knew exactly what it felt like to be blindsided by Adrienne Kiriakis. “I was waiting for you outside of Sonny’s room and she came off the elevator.”

Will got up. “She didn’t see me. She was carrying a drink and she stopped to get something out of her purse. I saw her before she saw me, so I ducked in here, because I didn’t want to make a scene.”

Maxine crossed her arms over her chest. “Well at least she didn’t lie. Sonny asked if you were outside and she said she didn’t see anyone.”

Will was glad that Maxine got to talk to Sonny for a little while before Adrienne came in. “So did you ask?”

Maxine shook her head. “She stopped me before I could and made me look like a fool.”

Will turned away and thought for a second. “I’ll just have to come back.”

Maxine felt for Will. “I will ask him when I get a chance, but I think she’s on to me, so it’s going to be hard. He gets out tomorrow.”

Will had an idea. “Maybe I can talk to him then. You said I don’t need permission if he’s not in the room. I’ll talk to him tomorrow before he leaves. If he goes home with his mom. I don’t think I’ll ever get a chance.


	20. Lost Causes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny remembers a little more, about the night of his attack. After a rough night, Will finally gets to see Sonny.

Maxine had tried to talk to Sonny, but she had been right about Adrienne. She stuck to Sonny like glue. She came out of his room a few times for coffee, but if Maxine went anywhere near it, she would return right away.

 Maxine’s shift was over and it was getting late. Sonny was sleeping again and Adrienne was about to leave. She got up from her seat and Justin came in. “How is he?”

 Adrienne put her fingers to her lips to quiet her husband. “He’s fine. I convinced him to stay with us a few days, til he’s able to get around on his own.

 Justin frowned over at his son. “That must have taken some arm twisting.”

 Adrienne let out a sigh. “He did want to go home, but after hearing about Will, I think he wanted to be around family.”

 Justin turned his attention back to his wife. “What happened with Will?’

 Adrienne wanted to make sure that her husband was on her side. She knew that he was not one to interfere in his son’s life, but knowing how Sonny was feeling about what she saw, might help her in her goal. “When I went for coffee, I saw him with another man?”

 Justin was taken off guard. Will was always so attentive of Sonny. “You must have been mistaken.”

 Adrienne looked over to her son and then took her husband’s arm and led him away from the bed. “I didn’t see a lot and I told Sonny that, but they were being very friendly and when I told Sonny who it was, he didn’t seem surprised. I guess Neil and Will had something going on before they got together. I had no clue. I had hoped it was just something innocent.”

 Justin still couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Has he been by here?”

 Adrienne shrugged and shook her head. “Maxine mentioned that someone was here, but I haven’t seen anyone and I’ve been here all day.”

 Justin walked over and touched his son’s hand. “He must be devastated. I never would have expected that from Will.”

 Adrienne couldn’t help getting a jab in. “With a mother like Sami, that’s all he knows. Take the easy way out and not deal with the hard stuff.”

 Justin let out a sigh. “Well, he’ll get through the beating, the heartache might take a little while longer. Trying to figure out what happened, might help him not think about it though.”

 Sonny began to stir. He stretched and then winced from the pain, before opening his eyes and seeing his father standing over him. “Dad? Hi.”

 Justin held his hand on his son’s shoulder, to keep him from getting up. “Don’t get up on my account.”

 Sonny smiled up at his father. “Believe me, I won’t.”

 Adrienne didn’t like seeing her son in pain. She headed for the door. “I’m going to check with the nurse and see if its time for your next pill.”

 Sonny tried to stop his mother, but there was no use. Justin could see his son’s frustration. “You sure you are going to be okay at the mansion?”

 Sonny adjusted the covers over his lap. “I can’t handle things on my own and with Will…”

 Justin patted his son’s arm. “Let’s not talk about that now. Do you remember anything else about the night you were attacked?”

 Sonny was happy to think of anything else besides him and Will. “Not really. I was about to close and someone came in.”

 Justin adjusted himself in his chair to get closer to his son. “That’s something. Did they start something?”

 Sonny shook his head. “No. I didn’t pay much attention to them.”

 Justin interrupted. “Them? There was more than one.”

 Sonny frowned and nodded his head. “Yeah, there were. I forgot about that. Only one guy came to the counter. The others must not have. I just remember them coming in.”

 Justin nodded. “That’s enough. Let’s just concentrate on the one guy. Do you remember what he looked like?”

 Sonny ran his hands over his face and thought, then he started to shake his head. “No. After seeing so many customers in a day, they all run together. I just wanted to get out of there. Will was waiting for me.”

 Justin was shocked. “You don’t remember? I’ve sat in your coffee house and you remember everything a customer has ordered when they come in. That’s why you’re so successful. You make them feel like they’re old friends.”

 Sonny let out a heavy sigh. “I know. I think that’s why this is so frustrating. I just wanted to get out of there and I wasn’t really thinking about the customer. They weren’t a regular.”

 Justin patted his son on the arm. “I understand. We’ll just give it time. We know it wasn’t a regular and that there was more than one person. That’s more than you gave Hope, when she came in to talk to you. It’ll come back.”

 Sonny let his head fall back on the pillow and shook his head at the ceiling. “And what if it doesn’t. It was some strangers coming into the shop late at night. I should have paid attention, but my mind was on my “boyfriend”, that hasn’t even bothered to come see me. How stupid is that?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Will went back to Sonny’s apartment and got his things and then went back to his place. He laid in the bed and looked at his phone. “Maybe I should call him?”

 Will let out a sigh and put his phone on the nightstand. “She’s probably screening his calls too. I’ll just have to wait until morning.”

 Will turned over and tried to get some sleep.”

 He was worn out and sleep came easy, but it wasn’t a good sleep.

_Will was walking through a maze. He turned a corner and saw Sonny in front of him. “Sonny!”_

_He walked towards Sonny’s image, but it was just a reflection in a mirror. He looked around “Sonny! Sonny where are you?”_

_He turned and walked back. He saw another reflection, but again no Sonny._

_He wandered around time after time he would reach a dead end. He was just about to give up, when he saw Sonny running. “That can’t be a reflection.”_

_He started to followed the figure. “Sonny wait! Don’t go!”_

_The figure started to get away from him. He saw him turn a corner. “Why are you running from me?”_

_Will turned the corner and stopped._

_Adrienne was standing in front of him. “You will never be with my son.”_

_Will shook his head. “You can’t keep us apart.”_

_Adrienne laughed and stepped back away from Will. Will ran after her and ran into another reflection. Adrienne smiled at him. “Never”_

 Will woke up and looked around. He was breathing hard, but was glad to see that it was just a dream. He let out a sigh and laid back down in his bed. “I’m going to see you tomorrow Sonny.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrienne had helped Sonny get dressed, although he didn’t want her to. “I feel like a 5 year old. I can’t even put my pants on myself.”

 Adrienne had dealt with a frustrated Sonny before and was just happy to be useful. “You’ll be back to yourself in no time. Just be glad it wasn’t worse.”

 Sonny sat on the bed and winced, as he held his side. “I know. I still can’t get over the idea that someone would do this. I would have given them the money. Its not worth it to me.”

 Adrienne helped Sonny with his shoes. “When I had the Cheatin’ Heart, your dad was always worried that something would happen to me. That was a bar. When you said that you wanted to turn it into a coffee house, I never thought something like this would happen.”

 Sonny sighed. “I guess it comes with the territory.”

 Adrienne got up. “I guess, but your father is going to work on getting you some security cameras put in, so it doesn’t happen again. Maxine said something about some papers and they said you need a wheelchair.”

 Sonny didn’t want to be bother. “A wheelchair? I’d rather walk.”

 Adrienne headed for the hall. “Hospital rules.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maxine had called Will to tell him that Sonny was about to be released and he was headed out the door when his mother stopped him. “Where are you headed?’

 Will stopped and turned towards his mother. “The hospital. Sonny is getting out this morning.”

 Sami smiled. “That’s great. Are you going to be staying at his place?”

 Will smiled and shrugged. “That’s what I’m hoping, but Adrienne is making things difficult.”

 Sami walked over to her son. “What has the witch been up to?”

 Will didn’t want his mother trying to do her version of helping. He put up his hands. “I’ve got it under control. She’s been trying to keep me from see Sonny, but I’m not going to let her get away with it.”

 Sami frowned at her son. “What has she been doing?”

 Will didn’t really want to explain, but he knew that his mother wouldn’t let him leave unless he did. “They had a list of visitors and she didn’t put me on it, but I’m going to catch him when he leaves. I know how Sonny feels about me and he would want to see me. He’s not going to like that she’s been keeping me out.”

 Sami shook her head.. “Believe me, I know how you feel. Remember I had to deal with your grandma Kate. I’m proud of you.”

 Will gave his mother a kiss on the cheek. “I haven’t seen him yet. You can wish me luck though.”

 Sami watched as her son left the apartment. “Good luck.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sonny painfully put on his coat. He reached into his pocket and found his phone. “There you are.”

 He turned it on and put in his security code. There were 5 text messages. He smiled and opened his messages to see who they were from. “You did text me.”

 His hopes were dashed, as he saw 1 from each of his brothers and 2 from Abby. “Damn.”

 Sonny put his phone back in his pocket when he heard the door open. Adrienne smiled at him. “Are you ready to go. The orderly has your wheelchair ready.”

 Sonny pushed himself off the bed and walked over to the wheelchair that the orderly was holding for him. “As ready as, I’m ever going to be I guess.”

 Will came off the elevator and walked over to the nurse’s station. Maxine was going through a chart. “Maxine?”

 Maxine didn’t look up from her chart. “I did my part and called you. The rest is up to you.”

 Will smiled briefly, but then became serious. “I understand. Whether this works out or not. I want you to know how grateful I am. Thanks so much.”

 Maxine looked up. Her usual sour look on her face. “I’m not going to let you make me cry, so you better get out of here.”

 Will put up his hands and backed away. “I’ll just stand over here.”

 Maxine walked off to get a signature. “That’s smart.”

 Adrienne picked up Sonny’s bag and checked the room as the orderly pushed Sonny into the hall. Will saw him and ran over to him and smiled. “Hey Sonny.”

 Sonny looked up at Will. “What are you doing here?”

 Will held his hands in front of him, as he looked down at the ground. “I heard you were getting out and I wanted to see you.”

 Sonny tried to roll his wheelchair, but the orderly stopped him. Sonny looked up at the man and he began to roll him to the elevator. “You saw me. I should be getting home.”

 Adrienne came out of Sonny’s room and saw Will, as he turned and walked over to Sonny, while he waited for the elevator. “I...I thought we could talk.”

 Sonny closed his eyes. The last thing he wanted to do was talk to Will. He turned back to Will. “I really don’t think we have anything to say. What we had, was really good, but I think we both knew that it wasn’t going to last.”

 Will couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “What do you mean. I love you.”

 Tears started to fill Sonny’s eyes. “I’m sure that’s what you thought, but you’ll find that when it’s your first time, it always seems like love.”

 The elevator opened and Will watched as the orderly pushed Sonny on. “But Sonny…”

 Adrienne walked past Will and joined her son on the elevator. She placed her hand on his shoulder. Sonny looked up at her briefly and then back at Will. “Good bye Will.”

Will watched the elevator doors close, completely dumbfounded. “What the hell just happened.”

 Maxine came walking back to the nurse’s station. “Adrienne Kiriakis happened.”

 Will turned around and walked back over to Maxine. “But he looked at me like he hated me.”

 Maxine filed the paperwork that she was carrying. “She’s had a whole day to work on that boy and she did just that. Sonny was excited about you being here, when I went into his room yesterday.”

 Will frowned at the nurse. “Then I don’t understand. What could she have done?”

 Maxine sucked her lip and shook her head. “I have no clue, but she obviously put something in his head. I watched her, as you tried to talk to him and she seemed pretty smug. Whatever she did or said worked.”

 Will’s shoulders dropped. “Then I’ve lost him.”

 Maxine could tell how hurt Will was and from the way that Sonny acted the previous day, she knew that he felt the same way. “You really are going to let her win, just like that? If that’s the case, Sonny was right and you only thought that you loved him.”

 Will got angry. “What do you know? I do love Sonny, but if she did this to him in a day, how can I fight her, if he’s going to be staying with her while he’s getting better. She’ll just continue to poison him against me.”

 Maxine went back to her work. “I know that love can get past a lot of things. No matter what Sonny said, he was obviously in pain, which means that he still does love you. You just need to show him that what she said isn’t true.”

 Will watched as Maxine walked off. “How can I do that, if I have no clue what she said?’

 Maxine continued walking. “That’s what you need to figure out.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Adrienne let Sonny into the mansion. “You’re probably hungry.”

 Sonny held his side, as he shook his head. “I just want to go to my room.”

 Adrienne saw that Sonny was holding his side. “Getting in and out of the car must have been painful. You’re not do for a pill for another hour.”

 Sonny started towards the steps. “I don’t need another pill. I don’t like taking those things,they make me sleepy.”

 Adrienne nodded. “I understand, but rest is good for you. You go up and I’ll have cook bring your lunch up to you.”

 Sonny started up the stairs. “I’m not hungry.”

 Adrienne stood at the bottom of the stairs, as she watched her son, making sure he didn’t fall. “You need to eat, to get better.”

 Sonny turned on the steps and glared down at his mother. “I’m here because I have to be, but I won’t be babied. I’m not hungry and I don’t want any pain medication. I’ll be in my room and I’ll let you know when I need something.”

 Justin walked in the door and heard his son’s declaration. He walked over to his wife and frowned, as Sonny made his way back up the stairs. “What’s going on here?”

 Adrienne made sure that her son made it the rest of the way up the stairs, before turning to her husband. “I think he’s frustrated.”

 Justin could understand that. He wasn’t one that liked depending on others either. “I understand that. He’ll be back to himself soon enough.”

 Justin turned and walked into the parlor. That was what worried Adrienne the most. She had managed to keep Will from Sonny, but eventually he would leave their house and it would be out of her hands. “I think seeing Will didn’t help?”

 Justin put his briefcase on the desk and was going through it. He looked up at Adrienne. “Will? So he did finally stop by?”

 Adrienne walked over to her husband. “He did. I was in the room getting Sonny’s things. I didn’t hear what they talked about, but he was very agitated, when I came into the hall.”

 Justin was worried by what his wife was saying. He let out a sigh. “That’s too bad, but they had to have at it eventually. He’s going to be going back to the coffee house. There’ll be no way to avoid him.”

 Adrienne hadn’t even thought about that. “That scares me. We still don’t know what happened. What if these people come back.”

 Justin walked up and pulled his wife into his arms. “Sonny’s grown and he can take care of himself. We can’t baby him forever.”

Adrienne wrapped her arms tightly around her husband’s waist. “He will always be my baby.”


	21. Truth Be Known

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny needs to get out of the house and sees Will, who has just learned some disturbing information.

Sonny’s mood didn’t change over the next few days and Will was still confused as to how he would get Sonny to listen to him, after his mother was through poisoning him. Will at least had school to occupy his mind. 

He was sitting in Brady’s and studying when T came in. “Hey Will.”

Will smiled up at his friend. A welcome sight, after what had happened since the last time he had seen him. “T. Hey. Are you any closer to pledging that fraternity?”

In spite of being picked on when he was younger, T was always overly confident about his abilities. He sat down at the table. “You remember those guys I was bowling with? They’re a really good group. They really look out for each other. If they play their cards right, I might join them.”

Will frowned at his friend. “Play their cards right?”

T shrugged. “I know that people talk about the benefits of joining a fraternity, but I think that they should be happy to have me. I've got great potential.”

Will laughed, as he put away his book. “Oh that’s what you’re talking about. I’m not sure what potential you think you have, but you’re a pretty good friend.”

T smiled. “...and loyal.”

Will couldn’t help but agree. “...and loyal. Aren’t you worried about the stuff they make you do during hell week? I’ve heard stories.”

T played with the flowers on the table. “Nah. The campus has a strict hazing policy, so what can they make me do? Wear the same clothes for 3 days.”

Will remembered back to when he and T were younger “You’ve done that before. I just want you to be happy. You always wanted to fit in and if a fraternity makes you feel that way, than I wish you all the best.”

T smiled at first, then got serious. “What about you? I heard about Sonny. That really sucks. Do they know who did it?”

Will shook his head. “I think they're still investigating. They think it was a robbery, but they don’t really know.”

T frowned at his friend. “What do you mean? What did Sonny say?”

Will looked down at the table. “I don’t know. We aren’t together right now.”

T was shocked. “What do you mean? I saw you two at the bowling alley. You two obviously have a thing for each other. Even one of my buddies noticed. What happened?”

Will shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. “I’m not sure really.”

T watched his friend. He could tell that he was really upset. “You two haven’t been together that long. I guess it’s better you find out early.”

Will didn’t look up as his friend. “I guess.”

T sat up. “Wait a minute. Did you two?”

Will looked around the pub. “This is my family’s business.”

T looked around, then leaned on the table. “I didn’t see Sonny as a love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy.”

Will didn’t see him that way either, even if he tried to say that being someone’s first made things seem like more. “He’s not. His mother doesn’t really like me and I think she probably said some bad things about me.”

T was worried for his friend. “If he’s letting his mother dictate who he sees, maybe the guy isn’t so cool after all.”

Will sucked his lip and shook his head. “Its more complicated than that. I’m not going to give up on him yet. I just need to bide my time, until he’s not under his mother’s influence.”

T wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know when that will be. If I was him, I wouldn’t rush back to the coffee house until they find those guys. What if they come back?”

Will didn’t share his friends sentiments. “Sonny isn’t going to let someone scare him off, even if…”

When Will stopped, T encouraged him to continue. “Even if what?”

Will didn’t talk about the possibility of Sonny’s attack not being a robbery. Neil had been sure that there was more to it, but there was no evidence that indicated there was. “Nothing.”

T knew his friend too well. Even if he had been away several years. “That’s bull and you know it. Is there something about Sonny being beat up that you aren’t telling me?”

Will drank his soda. “You know what I know.”

T still didn’t believe Will. “That might be true, but you must be thinking something else.”

Will remained silent and T watched him. He came up with a theory. T looked around the pub and then leaned in closer to Will. “Do you think that Sonny was beat up because he’s gay?”

Will put down his drink. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

T nodded. He had been bullied, because he was different, so he knew. “I know, but Sonny? Come on. He’s the poster child for good guys. If I was gay, I’d date him.

Will chuckled. “Thanks for that I guess, but maybe that’s why someone might beat him up .”

T shook his head. “That would stink. The guys I know are connected on campus. I’ll ask them if they’ve heard anything. You never know.”

Will smiled at his friend and bumped his fist, as he got ready to leave “Thanks man.”

T got up to go. “Anytime man. I’ll see you later.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny had been in the house two days. He barely came downstairs, because he didn’t want to deal with anyone. He had convinced his mother that he didn’t need the pain medication, except at night, so that he could sleep.

The walls had started to close in on him. At first it was all he wanted. He needed to wrap his head around what had happened with Will. He still didn’t understand it. If Will was still interested in Neil, why would he bother being with him. 

He shook his head and left his room. He needed some air. He went downstairs and his mother was sitting in the parlor and heard him when he came down. 

She came into the entryway. “Hey honey. I thought I heard you. How are you feeling?”

Sonny was feeling anxious, he really didn’t want to talk. “I’m good. I was thinking about going for a walk.”

Adrienne started to go back in the parlor. “That’s great. I’ll go with you. Let me get my coat.”

Sonny didn’t want his mother to tag along. “I want to go by myself.”

Adrienne wasn’t comfortable with Sonny walking off by himself. He hadn’t been out of the his room in two days and she was worried that he might overexert himself. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”

Sonny didn’t really care. “I’m fine. I’ve been in the house for two days. I need some air. I won’t go far.”

Adrienne got an idea. “You can walk around the gardens. Maggie did a wonderful job. Its all done up for the fall” 

Sonny didn’t want to walk in the gardens. He put on his coat and tried to hide the twinge that he felt, from the sudden movement. “I’m just going around the block.”

Adrienne closed her eyes, as her son left, to hold in her anger.

Sonny walked out of the house. He had a full head of steam, until he made it to the end of the driveway. He stopped and realized that he wasn’t as ready for a walk as he thought. His legs felt a little week. He didn’t want to hear an ‘I told you so’ from his mother, so he sat on a bench near the gate. 

He noticed Victor’s car parked, the driver leaning against it, smoking a cigarette.

Sonny got up and walked over to him. “Afternoon Jensen.”

Jensen immediately stood up and put out his cigarette. “Good afternoon Mr Kiriakis. I didn’t see you.”

Sonny smiled and held up his hands, to stop him. “Please call me Sonny. Are you waiting for my uncle?”

Jensen shook his head. “No sir. I’m just on my lunch. He doesn’t need me until later. Did you need something?”

Sonny couldn’t believe his luck. “I do. I was wondering if you could take me to my coffee house.”

Jensen immediately went to open the door to the car. “No problem sir.”

Sonny climbed into the backseat. “Thanks, but please stop calling me sir. My name is Sonny.”

Jensen closed the door and went to get into the car. “Right sir. I mean Sonny.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had finished studying and was on his way home. Neil was talking to a friend in the square. “Hey Neil”

Neil said goodbye to his friend and walked over to Will. “Will, how’s Sonny.”

Will was getting tired of having to explain things about him and Sonny, but at least Neil was aware. “He’s home, but I still haven’t talked to him.”

Neil knew about Will’s problems with Sonny’s mother. “Just hang in there.”

Will didn’t have a choice. “I will. How are you?”

Neil nodded, but was very serious. “I’m good, but since I talked to you last, I’ve been asking around.

Will wasn’t sure what Neil was talking about. “Asking around about what?”

Neil walked Will over to a bench and they sat down. “I know you said that they thought what happened to Sonny was just a robbery, but I had to be sure, so I asked some friends and there have been other incidents.”

Will was shocked. “Other people have been beat up?”

Neil shook his head. “No, but there have been some harassments going on. Name calling and stuff like that. This one guy thought he was being followed, but he ducked inside the library and nothing happened.”

Will still wasn't sure that this had anything to do with what happened to Sonny. “None of these things are even close to what happened to Sonny. They obviously didn’t report them or the police would have been more suspicious.”

Neil knew that what he was saying seemed a bit far fetched. “I told you that I almost left the school.”

Will nodded. He was curious about what had happened to Neil, but didn’t think it was his place to ask. “I remember.”

Neil licked his lips. “I moved here from Missouri and didn’t know anyone. I was glad to get away from home. Living in a small town it was hard to be myself. Salem isn’t any bigger, but I figured that no one knew me. I wasn’t ashamed of being gay, but I didn’t think that it needed to define me. I became friends with these 2 guys and they were really nice, but when they found out I was gay, they began to bully me.”

Will was shocked. Neil didn’t seem like the type that would have had something like that happened to him. “That’s terrible. I never would have thought that about you. Where are the guys now?”

Neil wiped his nose. “Their still here. They got a slap on the wrist and some fine and everything is alright again.”

Will understood where Neil was coming from. “You’ve gotten past it though, right?”

Neil nodded. “I did. I’ve kind of pushed it out of my mind. I found a new crowd and I was okay with it all. Until now. I don’t know if its the same guys or another group, but if what happened to Sonny is related to the other stuff I found out. I want to make sure that they pay and that its not just brushed under the rug again.”

Will hoped that what happened to Sonny wasn’t related, but if Neil was right, he wanted the same thing. “So do I.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny made it to the coffee house. It was good to be there again, but he obviously wasn’t ready to be back at work. 

He was happy to have an employee like Sarah. The police had the place taped off for a good part of the day after he had been attacked, but she showed up bright and early Monday to open up. Sonny sat with her in a booth by the counter. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”

Sarah smiled at her boss. Even though she knew he was gay, she had a little crush on him. Him being gay was actually a good thing, it kept everything on a friendly level. “I’m just glad that you are okay. I don’t know what I would have done if it was me.”

Sonny reassured his employee. “We have the cameras now, so we should be covered. I don’t want anyone closing up alone anymore. There’s one more thing. I’m not sure if you will want to agree to it though.”

Sarah was worried. “What? If it will help you out, I’m okay with it.

Sonny smiled. “It might be good for you, if you agree. I was wondering if you would want to be assistant manager. It would mean a raise of course.”

Sarah was thrilled. “I could definitely use the money. Thanks.”

Sonny got up. “No thank you, for everything that you have done. As I said, I don’t know what I would do without you. I better get going. You hold down the fort and hopefully I’ll be back soon.”

Sarah got up. “Okay. You take care of yourself.”

Sonny smiled, as he left. “I will.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Jensen was waiting for Sonny in the car. He wished he was closer, as he made it through HTS to meet him. His ribs were hurting, from sitting up so long. He saw Will with Neil and sped up, as fast as the pain in his side would allow him.

Will saw him and ran after him. “Sonny wait. I’ll see you later Neil.”

Neil smiled, as he saw what had taken Will’s attention. “Go get him tiger.”

Will caught up with Sonny and grabbed him by the arm. ‘Wait. We need to talk.’

Sonny winced from the pain of Will pulling his arm. He pulled away. “I told you. We don’t have anything to talk about.”

Will could tell that he had hurt Sonny, so he didn’t dare grab him again. Instead he stepped in front of him when he turned to leave. “You might not have anything to say, but I have plenty.”

Sonny didn’t want to hear anything that Will had to say. “I already know about you and your new lover.”

Will frowned. Is this what Adrienne had told him, to make him look at him like this? “I don’t know what your mother said, but I don't have a new lover.”

Sonny pointed his head in the direction of where Neil and Will were talking. “Really. I just saw the two of you for myself.”

Will looked in the direction that Sonny was indicating. “Neil? We’re just friends. You know that.”

Sonny didn’t want to hear it. “Friends? I know how people like Neil are with friends. Its fine if that’s what you want.”

Will watched as Sonny walked around him. He didn’t want to hurt him, but if it was the only way to keep him from leaving, he had to do it. He grabbed his arm again. “The only person that I want is you.”

This time, Sonny couldn’t help but yell out in pain. “Ow.”

Jensen saw what was happening and rushed to Sonny’s aid. “Is everything alright sir?”

Will let go of Sonny and Sonny held his side and nodded at the older gentleman. “I’m fine. I’ll be there in just a minute.”

Jensen nodded and went back to the car. “Very well sir.”

Sonny turned back to Will. “I was in the hospital almost 2 days and I don’t hear from you until, I’m leaving. You thought Neil was better company.”

Will wasn’t sure how Sonny knew about him talking to Neil, but he was grateful that he stayed. He thought this might be his last chance to say what he needed to say. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you. That’s the last thing that I want, but you need to listen to me. There is nothing between me and Neil. I’ve been trying to talk to you for days. I texted you twice that night. I was worried sick, when you didn’t reply and I called you and left a voicemail. I don’t know what happened to the messages. I stopped, by the hospital, but I couldn’t get in, unless I was on a list and your mother wouldn’t put me on it.”

Sonny was confused. “Why would she do that?

Tears started to form in Will’s eyes. “This is a woman that felt the need to bring up every bad thing that my family and I have ever done over dinner. She doesn’t want me to be with you.”

Sonny ran his hands over his face. This was his mother. Could she really be so devious? “She wants me to be happy.”

Will stepped closer to Sonny. “...and are you?”

Sonny looked at Will and couldn’t hold in the tears, as they started to fill his eyes. He shook his head. “No.”

Will closed the distance between him and Sonny. He grabbed him by the head and pulled him into a kiss. Sonny wrapped his arms around Will’s back and Will wrapped his arm around Sonny’s waist to pull him in closer.

Any other time, Sonny would have welcomed the feel of Will being so close to him, but he had been in pain for a while and Will holding him so tight, was more than he could stand. Sonny pulled away. “Oh god, I can’t do this.”

Will looked at Sonny worried. He had pushed him too fast and now he was pulling away. “I’m sorry. I know its a lot for you to take in, but I’ve missed you and want you so bad.”

Sonny smiled. “I missed you too.”

Will relaxed and smiled. He reached in his pocket. “Then maybe we can go to your place. I still have your key.”

Sonny looked at the key is Will’s hand. He walked over and placed his hand over Will’s. “You keep it. I have another one.”

Will put the key away. “You can send the car back and get your things later.”

Sonny shook his head, as he held onto Will’s coat. He looked into his eyes and wondered how he could ever have believed what his mother had said. “I need to go back to the mansion.”

Will grabbed Sonny by the waist. He did it gently, so that he wouldn’t hurt him. He was scared what would happen, if Sonny went back to his mother. “I’ll go with you.”

Sonny moved one hand to the side of Will’s face. “Don’t worry. I’m sorry that I listened to my mother. That won’t happen again, but I need to talk to her alone.”

Will still wasn’t sure about Adrienne, but looking into Sonny’s eyes, he could see the he was telling the truth. “Okay.”

Sonny smiled and kissed Will gently on the lips, before leaving. ‘Meet me at my place. I won't be long.”

Will watched as Sonny walked to the car and the driver opened the door to let him in.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny walked into the mansion and Adrienne came rushing into the entryway. “Where have you been?”

Sonny was angry as he rode back, but as he had time to think about everything that had happened, he realized that he was the one that was at fault. He couldn’t put all the blame on his mother. “I went to the coffee house.”

Adrienne frowned at her son. “You said that you were just going for a walk.”

Sonny nodded. He knew what he had told his mother. “I said that I needed air. Jensen had the car and drove me. I wanted to see how things were going. Its not fair that Sarah’s running the place, while I’m away.”

Adrienne understood what her son was saying, but that didn’t change anything. “I’m sure she understands. You should have told me where you were.”

Sonny watched his mother. She cared so deeply for him, but that didn’t give her the right to run his life. “I’m an adult mom. I don’t have to check in with you.”

Adrienne had enough of Sonny’s attitude. “I’ve been more than patient with you. I understand what happened with Will was a shock, but I’ve been doing everything for you and I would think that you would be at least a little bit grateful.”

Sonny had accepted his responsibility for his situation, but the idea of his mother, painting herself as a victim, got to him. “What you said happened with Will was more than a shock. It ripped my heart out. I love him mom and finding out that he was with another man, didn’t make that go away. Even if that’s what you might have wanted.”

Adrienne didn’t understand how her son could turn against her. She placed her hand on her chest. “All I ever wanted was for you to be happy. Its not my fault that Will went running into another man’s arms.”

Sonny shook his head and walked around his mother into the parlor. How could she be so cool, like she had no part in any of it. “You told me about it mom.”

Adrienne followed her son. “I didn’t want to, but you wanted to know and looking back on it I’m glad I told you. If I hadn’t, he would have hurt you even worse down the road. He obviously has something going on with that Neil guy.”

Sonny got a drink of water and let his mother back herself into a corner. He turned back to face her. “Yeah he does have something with Neil. Its called friendship.”

Adrienne frowned at her son and shook her head. “They weren’t acting like friends. I could see that they were close. Then when they left, they had their arms around each other. Will said that he was glad that he had him.”

Sonny finished his drink and put the glass back on the bar. “You said that you didn’t hear their conversation.”

Adrienne was wondering why they were going over all of this again. She had told him before. “No I didn’t. I just heard that last bit, as they left.”

Sonny smiled, as he sighed and shook his head. “It didn’t really matter to me, what they did or said. All I needed to know was that it was Neil.”

Adrienne started to feel better. “Exactly, you know how close they were.”

Sonny’s even demeanor turned. “And that’s why I was so willing to think the worse of what you said. That’s on me. You making it seem like Will didn’t really care about me. That’s all on you.”

Adrienne was taken off guard, by the sudden change in her son. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sonny had tried to stay calm, but his mother continuing to play innocent, made it difficult. “I’m talking about how you set everything in motion and me finding out that Neil was involved, was the icing on the cake. I know that you kept Will from seeing me when I was in the hospital.”

Adrienne remained calm. “I told you that I didn’t see him.”

Sonny let his mother’s statement stand, but one thing was true. “Whether you saw him or not, you should have known that I would want to and you should have put him on the list of visitors and before you try and deny it, I checked with Maxine.”

Adrienne became nervous. “I was doing it for you. You needed your rest. Why did you feel the need to check on me anyway?”

Sonny was glad that his mother was finally being honest. “I ran into Will.”

Adrienne stepped closer to Sonny and Sonny stepped back. She began to cry. “You can’t believe anything he says.”

Sonny ran his hands over his face. “Will you give it up? Will is not his mother. Just like I’m not you. I could never do what you did to my child and I came back to tell you that if you do it again, you will be less one son.”

Adrienne thought her son was just blowing off steam. “I don’t believe you.”

Sonny had enough and headed for the stairs. “Try me. I’m going to get my things and go back to my place.”

Adrienne turned and watched her son leave. She was crying. “I was just trying to protect you, but you’ll see that I was right.”


	22. One Step At A Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny enjoy being back together, but when Hope drops by Sonny is shocked by what he finds out.

Will was waiting at Sonny’s place. He didn’t know what to do with himself. He was nervous. If Adrienne tried to make Sonny think that there was something going on between him and Neil, there was no telling what else she would pull to try and keep them apart.

Sonny had been gone for over an hour. Will looked at the clock on his phone. “Where are …”

Before he could finish, Sonny opened the door. Jensen had driven Sonny back to his place. He carried his bag on his good side, as he came into the apartment and Will ran over to take it from him. “Hey.”

Sonny let Will take the bag. “Sorry I took so long. It was slow going with my ribs. I’m still not quite back to myself.”

Will smiled, as he put his bag down. “Of course you’re not. You don’t have to apologize.”

Sonny started to take off his coat and Will helped him. “I do have to apologize about my mom. I never should have believed her.”

Will hung Sonny’s coat up on the hook. “It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that we’re back together.”

Sonny walked over to Will and took his hand and led him back to the bed to sit down. “It does matter. I know you think that my mother was behind me thinking that you were with Neil, but it’s just as much my fault.”

Will tried to reassure his boyfriend. “I don’t believe that.”

Sonny didn’t like to talk about his shortcomings. Will’s past was there for all to see, but he lived the last two eyes, far from everyone. “My mother told me about you and Neil. I chose to believe her.”

Sonny was the most open and honest person that Will knew, but right now he could see that he was holding something back. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Sonny let go of Will’s hand and saw his photo album on the bed. “What is that doing out?”

Will looked over his shoulder and saw the book that Sonny was talking about. He reached over and picked it up. “I was looking for a pencil and found your photo album. I looked through it. Hope that was okay.”

Sonny had forgotten about the album, as Will handed it to him. “That’s fine.”

Will smiled. “There’s some nice pictures. I wish that I could have spent more time in Switzerland.” 

Sonny wasn’t smiling. “This is the good times that I had while I was there, but there’s a lot more that happened, then are in here.”

Will took Sonny’s hand again. Sonny was always the upbeat one. That was one of the things he loved about him. “Okay, this isn’t like you. What’s going on?”

Sonny looked at Will. “Listening to my mom, made me remember a part of me that I thought was gone.”

Will frowned. “What part of you? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Sonny got up. It had been a long day and his side was starting to ache. He shook his head. “Never mind. I think that everything that’s happened today is getting to me.

Will got up and walked over to Sonny. He put his arms around his waist and held his back against his chest. “And I can tell that you’re in pain. Don’t you have something that you can take?”

Sonny nodded, but frowned. “I do, but they put me to sleep. Its our first night back together and I want to stay up.”

Will thought for a second. He stepped back from Sonny and ran for the bathroom. “I’ve got an idea. Just give me a minute.”

Sonny frowned behind his boyfriend. “What are you doing?”

Sonny heard the water in the bathroom start, just before Will peeked back out. “I’m running you a warm bath.”

Sonny was curious. “What’s that suppose to do?”

Will had gone back into the bathroom and yelled out. “You wait and see.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny decided to take his things out of his bag. He looked at his pills. “I don’t want to, but I might have to take one.”

He had just picked up his toiletry kit, when Will yelled from the bathroom. “I think its ready.”

Sonny smiled and walked towards the bathroom and opened the door. Steam came out and Will yelled at him. “Hurry up and close the door. You’re letting out all the steam.”

Sonny did as he was told and as he closed the door behind him, he saw his smiling boyfriend. “What’s all this?”

Will sat in the tub, surrounded by candles. “I didn’t think you’d want to take one alone. Get undressed and come here.”

Sonny sat on the toilet to pull off his socks “This wasn’t what I expected.”

Will watched, as Sonny undid his pants and let them and his underwear fall to the floor. He could see that Will was enjoying the view. “I might need help with my shirt.”

Will slowly stood up and Sonny watched as the bubbles slide down his body. “I’m here to serve.”

Sonny let Will unbutton his shirt, then he turned and Will pulled it off his shoulders. Will kissed Sonny’s right shoulder and Sonny turned back around. Will held out his hand and Sonny slowly stepped into the tub. Will wanted to make sure that Sonny was okay. “I’ll sit down first.”

Sonny watched as Will sat down, he used Will’s hand and the wall to slowly let himself down, then turned, to sit between Will’s legs. “I don’t know how I’m going to get back out.”

Will moved the bubbles around them. “That’s okay. We’ll just stay here until we’re all wrinklely.”

Sonny relaxed and laid back on Will’s chest. “I might be okay with that.”

Will wrapped his arms around Sonny’s shoulders. “Good. Just relax and hopefully the warm water will take away the achiness.”

Sonny smiled and looked over his shoulder. “There’s something that I doubt the warmth will take away.”

Will was embarrassed. “It was cold when I stood up.”

Sonny giggled. “Oh, that’s what it is.”

Will splashed at Sonny. “You behave.”

Sonny relaxed back again. “I have no choice.”

Will wrapped his arms around Sonny again. “I’m happy just being like this.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had helped Sonny out of the tub and dried him off. He then helped him into his pajamas, before they climbed into bed. Sonny laid with his head on Will’s chest and Will ran his fingers through his hair. “You okay?”

Sonny nodded, as he wrapped his arms around Will and settled in. “Never better. I don’t know if the bath was a good idea. I’m feeling really sleepy.”

Will moved his hand from Sonny’s hair, to around his shoulder and pulled him in tight. “If you want to go to sleep, that’s fine. We’ve got all the time in the world.”

Sonny closed his eyes. “Yeah we do. I’m still so sorry for believing my mother.”

Will didn’t want to talk about Adrienne Kiriakis. “Shhhhh...Don’t worry about it.”

Sonny began to drift off. “I was just so scared you’d leave me, like everyone else did.”

Will lifted his head and frowned down at Sonny. “What?”

Sonny was breathing steadily and Will realized that he was asleep. He kissed him the top of his head and settled in to sleep. “I would never leave you.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Justin rushed into the mansion and found his wife pacing the floors. “Now what was all this about Sonny leaving?”

Adrienne used the tissue she had been wringing to wipe her nose. Tears streaking her face. “He left. He wanted to go back to his apartment.”

Justin was confused and frowned at his wife. “I thought he was going to stay until he felt better. What happened?”

Adrienne sniffed and walked over to get a drink. “Will Horton happened.”

Justin walked over to join his wife. “I thought they were over.

Adrienne took a sip of her drink. “Sonny went out today and ran into him.”

Justin took in a breath and shook his head, as he let it out. “Really? What did he say?”

Adrienne rolled her drink around her tongue, as she shook her head. “Lies about me.”

Justin frowned. “About you? What could he have said?”

Adrienne went to refill her glass. “That I made up the stuff about that guy he was with.. I know what I saw and told him that I didn’t hear what they were talking about. He was the one that said that Will had been with Neil before. I can’t believe that Sonny fell for his lies.”

Justin wasn’t completely shocked. “You know how he feels about him. You and I both looked past things, as we worked through our relationship, maybe the shock of what happened, cause Will to turn to the guy.”

Adrienne threw her hand up in disgust. “Oh great, so everytime the going gets rough, he’s going to hop into bed with a guy?”

Justin was about to take a drink, but stopped. “You don’t know he slept with the guy. Maybe they were just talking.”

Adrienne put her glass down on the bar and began to leave. “And hugging? I tell you that Will Horton is no better than his mother, who jumped in and out of bed with more men than I care to count and didn’t care who she hurt. Will is going to hurt our Sonny and he’s being blind not to see that.”

Justin turned and watched his wife, as she left. He finished his drink. “Adrienne, you need to stay out of our son’s love life.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny did wake up once and Will gave him one of his pills. Will had a class and had gotten up to get dressed, while Sonny continued to sleep. He was finishing his coffee, as Sonny began to stir. He poured a cup and walked over to the bed. “Good morning.”

Sonny rubbed his eyes and turned over. “Morning. What time is it?”

Will held the coffee out for Sonny, as he sat up. “Almost 9. I have a 9:30 class, so I have to go.I made coffee and if you’re hungry. I made pancakes for you. Their in the microwave.”

Sonny took the coffee and smiled. ”Awww. Like I did for you.”

Will went to get the pancakes. “And you didn’t even have to have sex for them.”

Sonny took a sip of his coffee. “Even worse I feel asleep on you. I don’t deserve the special treatment.”

Will brought Sonny’s breakfast to him on a tray. “I was just happy to hold you in my arms. I was worried that wasn’t going to happen again.”

Sonny was about to apologize again, when there was a knock on the door. “I wonder who that could be?”

Will was worried. “I hope its not your mother.”

Sonny hoped it wasn’t either, but doubted it could be. “I don’t think I’ll see her for a while. She’s probably crying on my dad’s shoulder.”

Will nodded and looked through the peephole, before opening the door. “Aunt Hope! Hi.”

Hope smiled at her nephew. “Hi Will, I heard that Sonny was here.”

Will stepped aside and let his aunt in. “Yeah...yeah. He is. Come on in.”

Sonny started to put his food to the side and Hope put up her hand to stop him. “I probably should have called. Go ahead and eat, you need it.”

Sonny put the tray back down. “Thanks. Did you find the guys that came into the shop?”

Will walked over to the bed next to Sonny, while Hope stood at the foot. “Not yet. I talked to your father and he said you remembered some more things.”

Will wanted to hear what Sonny had to say, but he didn’t want to be late for class. “I’ve got to go.”

Sonny smiled up at while, as he leaned down and gave him a kiss. “Okay. I’ll see you later..”

Will waved at Hope, as he left. “I’ll see you later.”

Sonny watched, as Hope watched Will leave, then turned back to him. He finally answered her question. “I did, but not enough. I remember that there were 3 of them. One stayed by the door and the other went to the bathroom.”

Hope took out her pad. “That’s something. We can search for any incidents where the people worked in groups of three. I know it probably seems like you aren’t helping, but even the smallest bit of information can help. What do remember about the main guy.”

Sonny thought and shook his head. “I hadn’t seen him before. He was taller than me, light hair.”

Hope began to write. “Do you think you could pick him out of a mugshot, or maybe sit down with our sketch artist.”

Sonny ran his hand over his mouth. “I could try, but it seems like he came at me and I just blacked it out.”

Hope stopped and stared at Sonny. “He came at you? So he didn’t ask for the money in the cash register?”

Sonny thought for a second and frowned. “No I don’t think he did. If he had I would have given it to him.”

Hope put down her pen and pad. “Try to remember. Did he say anything to you?”

Sonny covered his mouth with his hands and thought. After a few moments he slowly looked up at Hope. A look of shock was on his face. “He did.”

Hope was happy that Sonny remembered something. “What?”

Tears started to fill Sonny’s eye. “That he didn’t want anything from anyone like me?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will ran into T after class. T could tell that he was in a good mood. “What’s up?”

Will didn’t even try to hide his happiness. “Sonny and I patched everything up.”

T was happy for his friend. “That’s so great. What about his mother?”

Will shrugged and smiled “Sonny said that she’s not going to be a problem again, so I’m good with it.”

T was okay with things, if Will was. “Since everything is okay with you two again, I was wondering if you guys want to do something for Halloween.”

Will and Sonny had just gotten back together and after what had happened, doing something fun and normal might be just the ticket. “No, I hadn’t even thought about it. It’s in a few weeks.”

T nodded and smiled. “It is and I don’t know if you’ve changed your feelings, but I remember it use to be one of your favorite holidays.”

T was right. He had always loved the idea of a night, being anything but himself. “Not as much, but I still like a good costume. What do you have in mind?”

T pulled a flyer out of his backpack. “I’m joining that fraternity I told you about and we’re having a fundraiser. It’s a haunted house and party. I thought you might be interested.”

Will looked at the paper that his friend handed him. “Looks like fun. Sonny should be up for something by then. I’ll see what he has to say. Thanks.”

T headed off. “No problem. Just because I have new friends, that’s no reason to forget my old ones. See you later dude.”

Will looked at the paper again. “Bye T.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hope wasn’t shocked by what she heard, but disappointed. She let out a sigh. “That’s what I was afraid of.”

Sonny closed his eyes. He could hear the sound of the man’s voice, but he still couldn’t completely make out his face. He shook his head. “No wonder I blocked it out. That son of a bitch.”

Hope tried to calm Sonny, as he grabbed at his side from his outburst. “Don’t exert yourself. We’ll catch them. It’s been kind of hush hush, but we’ve had incidents being reported around town.”

Sonny frowned up at Hope. “Hush, hush? I don’t mean to offend you, but wouldn’t it be good to let the gay community know if some lunatics are using them as punching bags?”

Hope felt the need to clarify. “There has never been anything like this. Just small incidences. Tags on a car, name calling and stuff like that. No one saw anything to really report anyway. We beefed up our presence on campus, since that is where most of the occurrences happened.”

Sonny was still upset. “So the guys decided to venture out for some fun and since campus was covered, they found a new place to go.”

Hope tried to calm Sonny. “We don’t even know if they are related.”

Sonny looked up at Hope. He didn’t believe her. “Then why would you bring it up?”

Hope shook her head. “I probably shouldn’t have. I didn’t want to believe that this was a hate crime. This is my town and I don’t want to believe things like that happen here. I felt the same way when I heard about the other incidences, but there is no proof they are related.”

Sonny let out a sigh. “I suppose you’re right, but I can’t remember ever coming across anyone that ever worried me. I didn’t recognize the guy, so he’s never been in my shop. He knew I was gay, but there was nothing that I did, that would have indicated that. So we must have crossed paths before.

Hope put her pad away. “Maybe it was on campus.”

Sonny shook his head. “I’m there so rarely, but it could be.”

Hope gave it one more shot. “Will said that you went out the night before. He didn’t notice anything unusual. Did you?”

Sonny wished that he had, but he didn’t. “I was with Will and he was all I was thinking about.”

Hope leaned over and patted Sonny’s foot. “Don’t worry. We will get these guys. I’m going to make it my personal business to make sure.”

Sonny felt comfort in that. “Thanks Hope.”

Hope headed for the door. “You take care. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Sonny waved at Hope and dropped his hand in disgust, after she left. “Bye.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will was excited when he got back to Sonny’s. Sonny had managed to get up and get dressed. Will walked in and smiled at him. “You must be feeling better.”

Sonny was having a cup of coffee. He sat at the table. “I’m okay. How was class?”

Will walked over and gave Sonny a kiss on the cheek. “Good. I’m sorry I was gone so long.”

Sonny took a sip of his coffee, as Will sat across from him. “No biggie. Hope just left, so I got up and got dressed.”

Will smiled. ”I can see that. Good for you.”

Sonny wasn’t in the best mood after his talk with Hope. “I’m not a baby Will.”

Will frowned at his boyfriend. “I know that. Its just that you were in so much pain yesterday and today, you seem better.”

Sonny felt bad for snapping at Will. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t let my mood make me dump on you.”

Will felt bad, that he didn’t notice Sonny’s mood. “That’s no problem. What’s wrong?”

Sonny got up to take his cup into the kitchen. “Don’t worry about it. You were gone for a while, did you do something else while you were gone?”

Will got up and took the flyer from his pocket. “Not really, but I ran into T. He gave me a flyer to a party at the frat that he’s joining. You want to go?”

Sonny looked at the flyer in his boyfriend’s hand and shook his head as he walked past him and back into the other room. “Hell no.”


	23. Haunting Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will looks forward to Halloween, but Sonny is having haunting feelings of his own.

Will blinked his eyes and turned to look at his boyfriend, completely shocked by his reaction. “Oookay. So you don’t like frat parties.”

Sonny closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. He turned back to Will. “I’m sorry, it’s not that. I guess I’m on edge about my talk with Hope.”

Will walked over and took Sonny’s hand and lead him to the foot of the bed to sit. “I could tell that you were on edge and thought I’d drop it, but obviously that’s not the way to go.”

Sonny smiled at Will. He was so caring. “She told me to let her handle it, but I can’t help thinking about what she told me.”

Will knew that he should have stayed. “I should have ditched class. What did she say?”

Sonny patted Will’s hand. “I’m glad you didn’t. She hasn’t made any progress and was just asking me questions. She asked me about that night and I remembered a little bit more.”

Will tried to be reassuring. “That’s good. The more you remember the better.”

Sonny nodded. He knew that was true and was grateful in that regard. “I’m not sure if it will actually help, but it scared me and angered me at the same time.”

Will became worried. “What did you remember?”

Sonny bit his lip. He became sad. “That this happened to me because of who I am and not because of anything I did.”

Will got up from the bed. He was holding onto the hope that it was a robbery, like Hope had said. He knew exactly how Sonny was feeling. “They beat you up because you’re gay?”

Sonny looked at Will, as he faced away from him. He knew that Will probably hadn’t experienced such hate before and was thinking that maybe he shouldn’t have said anything. “I’m not positive. I still can’t even really remember what the guy looked like, I might have remembered it wrong.”

Will turned back to face Sonny. His anger took over. “Don’t take it back. I hoped that it was anything but that, but now that its out there we have to face it.”

Sonny got up and walked over to Will. “I was angry too.”

Will walked past Sonny and looked at the bed for a second then turned back to his boyfriend. “Angry doesn’t even began to cover it. When Neil…”

Sonny stepped closer to Will. “What does Neil have to do with this?”

Will let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. “Nothing really. He was just telling me that he had a similar type of experience when he first came to Salem.”

Sonny was shocked. “He was beat up?”

Will shook his head. “No. He was harassed. He heard about what happened to you and wondered if it could have been a hate crime. When I told him that Hope thought it was a robbery, he accused her of sweeping it under the rug.”

Sonny was confused. “Why? He doesn’t even know Hope, does he?”

Will took Sonny’s hand and brought him back to sit on the bed. “Its because that’s what happened to the guys that were bothering him. Is that why you didn’t want to go to the party? Did Hope think that it had something to do with someone from campus?”

Sonny wasn’t sure why he reacted the way he did to the party. “She did mention that some stuff had happened on campus, but she didn’t think it had anything to do with me. She said that they weren’t violent.”

Will nodded. “Neil mentioned some things too, but T invited us. He’s been hanging around these guys since school started. He wouldn’t join a frat that would do any of the things that have been happening. I didn’t think he would be, but he’s got no problem with me being gay.”

Sonny knew that what Will was saying was true. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I was just sitting here thinking about it and when I saw the flyer, I freaked.”

Will smiled and patted Sonny’s hand. “That’s fine. Believe me, I can understand. With what happened to you and us being apart, things have been really tense and finding this out, just added to it all. I think we just need a chance to have a little fun.”

Sonny could see that Will really wanted to go. “That does sound good. Where’s the flyer?”

Will got up and went to get the flyer from the table. “There’s a haunted house and a party. T said its some fundraiser.”

Sonny took the flyer and looked at it. “It says costumes.”

Will sat back down. He thought that was the best part, but he didn’t want to pressure Sonny. “Yeah it does, but we don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Sonny nodded at the paper and then looked up at Will. “No I like the idea. I like dressing up. Gives you a chance to be something other than yourself.”

Will got even more excited. “Exactly. Exactly. We’ve only got two weeks. Its gotta be something awesome.”

Sonny chuckled at his boyfriend’s enthusiasm. “You’re really getting into this.”

Will took the paper and put it back on the table. “Halloween was my favorite holiday. With everything going on in my house, it was the one time that I could hide away and be anyone, but me.”

Sonny walked over to Will, as he stood by the table and looked down at the paper. “But I like you.”

Will turned and put his arms around Sonny’s waist, to pull him closer. “I do too, now that I’ve got you.”

Sonny kissed Will gently. “and I’m not going anywhere.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny was feeling better. He didn’t need that pain meds anymore to sleep. He just took tylenol to keep the achiness away. 

He eased himself back into the coffee house, only working a few hours the first day and taking plenty of breaks, at Sarah’s insistence. It was his first day back full time and Sarah insisted on taking the morning shift. He hadn’t been there long, when his father came in. Sonny smiled at him. “Hey dad.”

Justin put his hand on the counter and placed his briefcase on the stool. “Hey. I heard you were back here. Would have been nice of you to tell your dad or even more importantly, your mother.”

Sonny didn’t want to talk about his mother. He was still upset about what she had done. He turned to make his father’s coffee. “You know. You can tell her.”

Justin knew how stubborn his son could be. He got it from both his parents. “How long are you going to be mad at her?”

Sonny finished and turned to put the drink on the counter. “That’s hard to say. How long would she have kept Will and me apart? I guess forever seems like a long time.”

Justin was not one to meddle in his son’s life and knew that what his wife was doing was wrong, but he felt the need to patch things up. “Is this because of what she did or because you wanted to believe it was true. That doesn’t bode well for your relationship.”

Sonny busied himself and took some creams to refill the container on the stand. “I know I played a part, but she set it in motion. Will and I are still new. Its not strange to have doubts.”

The lawyer in Justin, continued to plead his wife’s case. “I heard Will was at the hospital and you didn’t bother to talk to him.”

Sonny finished what he was doing and walked back to the counter. “This isn’t a court case Dad. No, I didn’t talk to Will, because of what Mom said. If she had stayed out of it, I never would have treated Will that way.”

Justin knew that his son was right, but there was something in Adrienne’s defense. “She didn’t lie.”

Sonny stopped wiping the counter and stared at his father. “You’re really going there. No she didn’t, but she made me drag it out of her, like it was a deep dark secret. By the time I got it out of her, I was horrified. She played it perfect.”

Justin had been on the other side of his wife’s tears and knew how she could be. “I understand. Maybe she did make it seem worse than it was.”

Sonny had enough of his father. “Worse. That’s an understatement. Even if I take into consideration, my part in believing what she said, I had no control over what she did. She kept Will from seeing me and somehow she deleted his messages on my phone.”

Justin didn’t know about the phone. He was shocked. “She did? I had no clue.”

Sonny let out a sigh. “Dad, I know that you are just trying to help, but I’m not ready yet. I know that she thinks that she was trying to protect me, but she took advantage. I needed Will and he wasn’t there for me because of her and the idea that she would do that, makes it hard for me to trust her now.”

Justin had to concede to his son. “I understand, but it would be nice if you told her that. She is still your mother.”

Sonny nodded, that much couldn’t be denied. “I can do that.”

Justin smiled and took a ship of his coffee. “So on to another touchy subject.”

Sonny knew exactly what his dad was getting at. “You talked to Hope.”

Justin nodded, as he put his coffee back down. “I did and I’m disturbed by the fact that this has been going on and the police department has been keeping it under wraps.”

Finally Sonny and his father could agree on something. “I told her the same thing. She wanted me to sit with a sketch artist, but I’m not sure if that will help.”

Justin thought for a minute. “You know, the information must be there. It keeps coming back bit by bit. Maybe its time for some intervention.”

Sonny frowned at his dad, as he leaned on the counter. “What type of intervention.”

Justin took another sip of his coffee. “I was thinking about hypnosis.”

Sonny thought that his father was crazy. “That doesn’t sound like something a lawyer would suggest.”

Justin leaned on the counter, after putting his cup back down. “It can’t be used in the courtroom, but sometimes it can lead us in the right direction, to finding the truth. Its in there. Something is just keeping it from coming out.”

Sonny had thought the same thing. “That’s what I’m afraid of. Its not like me though. Is what happened so bad, that I’m trying to block it out?”

Justin would like to think otherwise, but he had to admit, that he thought that too. “I don’t know. We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it. Except for the broken ribs, you really only had a few cuts and bruises. So I’m thinking there’s something else going on.”

Sonny refused to let it all get to him. He held in his anger as best he could. “I can’t think of anything worse than what I’ve already remembered. When can we do this.”

Justin moved his cup closer to his son and got up. “I’ve asked Marlena to help me out before. You know her, so I’ll see if she has some free time. I’ll let you know.”

Sonny waved at his father, as he left. “Okay. I’ll see you later. “  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will met up with T to pay for the tickets to the party. “Thanks for the tickets.”

T put the money away. “I’m glad you guys are going to be there. You’re going to have fun. These guys really know how to throw a party.”

Will put the tickets in his pocket. “Then why did you wait until now to invite us.”

T smiled at his friend. “Newbies have a quota of 10 tickets to sale.”

Will couldn’t help but laugh at his friend. “I should have known there was a catch.”

T shrugged. “What? Its going to be a blast. The party of the year.”

Will hit his friend on the shoulder. “I don’t doubt it.”

T was glad that his friend believed him. “So have you and Sonny picked out your costumes? “

Will had lots of ideas, but Sonny kept shooting them down. “Not yet. We got some ideas, but nothing for sure yet.”

T smiled, as he remembered some of the Halloweens that he and Will had spent together. “We had some pretty good ones.”

Will remembered them fondly too. “Yeah we did. I also remember how you would try and flirt with the girls, at every opportunity. Who are you going with?”

T threw his backpack over his shoulder. “Any girl would be happy to be with me.”

Will headed off and smiled. “In other words, you don’t have a date.”

T yelled after his friend, as a man approached him. “I just didn’t want one.”

The man looked up the street. “Is that your friend from bowling?”

T turned to the guy. “Hey Peter. Yeah. He’s coming to the party Friday.”

Peter took his backpack off. “Is he bringing his friend?”

T wasn’t sure what Peter was getting at. “Yeah, you have a problem with that.”

Peter pushed his bag into T’s arms. “No. The more the merrier. I was just wondering. I’m headed to the house. Why don’t you carry my bag for me.”

T followed Peter as he headed down the street. “Sure.”

Peter stopped and glared at T. “What?”

T looked down at the the ground, a little embarrassed, but well aware of the protocol. “Yes Your Greatness.”

Peter turned and continued down the street. “That’s better.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had texted Sonny to let him know that he was on his way and the coffee house was slow, so Sonny let everyone leave, an hour early. He figured that Will would keep him company, before they went back to his place. 

He was cleaning up the empty cream containers on the stand, when Will came in and saw him. He closed the door quietly and slowly walked up behind Sonny and tapped him on the shoulder and Sonny jumped. “What the fu…”

He turned and saw Will and stopped and Will could tell that he was really scared. “Are you alright?”

Sonny quickly recovered and took the things he was carrying behind the counter and threw them away. “I’m fine. You just startled me. I didn’t notice you.”

Will frowned, as he followed his boyfriend. “Yeah, right. You almost jumped out of your skin. What’s wrong?”

Sonny shook off his boyfriend and turned to get a cup from the counter. ‘I told you I’m fine Do you want something?”

Will wasn’t buying that Sonny was okay. “Something happened. Tell me. You’re still on edge. Did those guys come by again?”

Sonny stopped and tried to get himself together, before turning back around. “No. It’s been pretty slow. My dad stopped by, shortly after I got here.”

Will still felt that something was off. “So what did he say?”

Sonny didn’t want to talk about the break in, because he knew it would just worry Will. “He wanted me to forgive my mother.”

Will knew that he would never win Sonny’s mother over, but he didn’t want to be the one that came between Sonny and his family. “You should.”

Sonny was shocked by what Will said. “You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

Will walked around the counter and took Sonny’s hands. “She’s your mother and she was only looking out for you.”

The last customer left and Sonny pulled his hands from Will’s and went to lock the door. “That doesn’t give her the right to do what she did and she did it to you. How can you defend her?”

Will walked around the counter and took Sonny’s hand. He lead him over to the sofa in middle of the coffee house. “Your mother hates my mother for good reason. She has done some horrible things. Mostly in the name of love. Yet I’ve forgiven her.”

Sonny rubbed the palm of his hand with his thumb, as he looked down. “It’s not that easy.”

Will put his hand on the side of Sonny’s face, to make him look at him. “Will you do it for me?”

Sonny let out a sigh. “I can’t believe you’re asking me to do this.”

Will leaned in and kissed Sonny gently on the lips. “I love you and nothing she can do is going to stop that. If you love me, then she can’t hurt us, as long as we talk to one another.”

Sonny knew that Will was right. “There is something else.”

Will was worried. He frowned at his boyfriend. “What?”

Sonny got up and walked over to the counter. He began to wring his hands, as he worried about what his father had suggested. He turned around to face Will. “My dad was worried that I still hadn’t remembered everything yet. He thinks that I should undergo hypnosis.”

Will got up and walked over to Sonny. “Does he think it will work?”

Sonny shrugged. “He’s done it with clients.”

Will smiled. “Then that’s good. Maybe we can finally get these guys.”

Sonny nodded. He knew that what Will was saying was true. “...but what if I don’t want to remember?”

Will pulled Sonny close and wrapped his arms tightly around him. “No one is going to hurt you again. If you want me there, I’ll be there. What if these people hurt someone else or even worse, kill someone. We can’t let them get away with it.”

Sonny held onto Will and tried to find strength in his arms. “You’re right. I need to know.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny didn’t say much, as they closed the coffee house and made their way back to his apartment. They had been in the apartment for a few minutes and Will decided to try some light conversation. “You seem like you’re doing really well. I figured you would be worn out after working all day.”

Sonny had gotten ready for bed. “Yeah.”

Will took off his shirt and could see that didn’t seem to work, so he tried something else. “I got the tickets from T. He said the party is going to be a lot of fun.”

Sonny decided to check his phone and send a text to his mom, like his dad had said. “Uh huh”

Will looked at his boyfriend. He was always so open about things, but what happened to him had changed him. He looked deep in thought. Will continued to get ready for bed. He had just taken off his pants and threw them on a chair, then walked over to Sonny, as he stood by the table and checked the messages on his phone. He reached out for it and took it out of Sonny’s hand. “I think we need to stop the world for a minute.”

Sonny looked up at Will, the sadness very evident in his eyes. “The more I know, the more it bothers me. I don’t want to think about it.”

Will pulled Sonny into a kiss. “Then don’t.”

Sonny welcomed Will’s kiss and grabbed him by the face to pull him in closer. Will slowly walked Sonny to the bed and when the back of his legs touched it. Will stopped and they stared into each others eyes, before Will pulled off Sonny’s tee and threw it to the ground.

Sonny continued to look into Will’s eyes, as he lowered himself to the bed. Will leaned down and kissed him. “Just lay back and don’t think of anything but me.”

Sonny moved back on the bed, as Will climbed above him. He caught his lips, as he pushed him back on the bed and Sonny raised his hand to the back of Will’s head, to maintain their contact.

With Sonny’s ribs, Sonny and Will had stopped themselves, from being together, but this time, they needed to feel close. Sonny felt that he was losing himself, but now being with Will, he finally felt found again. 

Will pulled back. Sonny was breathing heavily. He looked over Sonny’s face and ran his thum over his cheek, to make sure that everything was alright. “You okay?”

Sonny pulled Will back to his lips. “I’ve never been better.”

Will planted kisses on Sonny’s lips and then pulled away again. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

Sonny had never been one to lean on anyone. After going to Europe, he pretty much had to take care of himself. This was new to him, but he liked it. No he loved it. “I love you Will. I know you will never hurt me.” 

Will kissed Sonny once more, and then began to work his way down his body. “No matter what, I want you to remember that I love you and that I will never let anyone hurt you again.”


	24. What Lies Within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will learns the truth about Sonny, when he is hypnotized.

Justin had called Sonny about a session with Marlena. Will had a late class, so was able to go with him. They were outside of Marlena’s office and Will could tell that Sonny was uneasy. He grabbed Sonny’s arm before he opened the door. “I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”

Sonny nodded slightly. “I am. Thanks again for coming with me.”

Will smiled and took Sonny’s hand. “I’m not going anywhere and you don’t have to worry. My grandma Marlena, is the easiest person in the world to talk to. I don’t know how I would have made it through the time with my parents, without her.”

Sonny squeezed Will’s hand. “I know. Whenever she came into the coffee house, she would smile at me and always made me feel so at ease. I’ll be fine.”

Will reached behind Sonny to open the door. “I guess we should get in there then.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny laid on the sofa and Marlena talked to him in a steady tone. “We’re going to go back to the time at the coffee house, before you were hurt. Is that okay?”

Sonny’s eyes were closed. He seemed asleep, but Marlena had made him relax, so that he was still aware of everything that was going on. He repeated her instructions. “Before I was hurt.”

Will watched Marlena. He was always so amazed by her and how she could always get him to tell her anything, but he had never seen her like this. “Yes. The evening, when three men came in, just as you were about to close.”

Sonny’s eyes began to move back and forth, as if he was watching the men come in. “Yes.”

Marlena glanced up at Will and he began to listen more intently. “Okay. Can you tell me what you were doing when they came in?”

Sonny talked calmly. “I was cleaning up and then I heard the door.”

Marlena nodded, as she leaned in closer and lowered her voice to keep Sonny calm. “Yes and who came in the door?”

Sonny shook his head. “I don’t know them. One went straight to the bathroom.”

Marlena tried to get more information. “Can you see what they look like?”

Sonny was quite. His eyelids again darted side to side to see everything. “I couldn’t see the one that left. One came to the counter. He’s bigger than me. Doesn’t look very old. Not bad lookin, kinda cute actually. Not as cute as Will though.”

Marlena smiled up at her grandson and Will shrugged at her. “What can I say?”

Marlena went back to her patient. “Can you tell me what he looks like?”

Sonny licked his lips and frowned. “Lighter brown hair, almost red. Light eyes.”

Marlena chimed in. “Are they blue.”

Sonny shook his head. “No, maybe hazel. Not sure.”

Marlena frowned. “What was he wearing?”

Sonny frowned. “Nothing special. Just a blue polo shirt.”

Marlena let out a sigh. “There’s nothing special that you can tell me about him?”

Sonny was quiet as he thought, then shook his head. “Not really. He looks like a student”

Marlena didn’t want to give up. “What about the guy by the door. Anything you can tell me about him?”

Sonny smiled. “He needs a haircut. He’s short and seems very nervous. He keeps looking around.”

Marlena chuckled. “What color is his hair, since it needs to be cut.”

Sonny got serious again “Black and very curly.”

Marlena, could tell she wasn’t going to get much more about the men, but she figured that she would ask one more question before moving on. “Can you think of anything else that was unusual about them?”

Once again Sonny thought. Then all of a scrunched up his face and said. “He had a nasty gum chewing habit.”

Not the most useful thing, but it was something. :”We’re going to move on. The one man is still in the bathroom. Does either of the two men say anything?”

Sonny was quiet and then all of a sudden acted like he couldn’t catch his breath. Will got worried. “What’s wrong?”

Marlena wasn’t sure. She tried to calm him. “Its okay. Don’t worry. Just breath.”

Sonny shook his head. ‘I can’t. Someone has me by the neck.”

Marlena.stayed calm. “Let’s go back. Back to when they came in. You’re okay.”

Sonny relaxed and Will leaned down, to touch him, but Marlena stopped him. “He’s okay.

Will wasn’t so sure. “What do you mean? He acted like he was going to choke. How are we going to do this?”

Marlena ignored her grandson and concentrated on Sonny. “Sonny, you are fine. You are safe here in the office. I want you to imagine that you are watching it all on a screen. They can’t see you, so they can’t hurt you. Can you do that?”

Sonny nodded. Will sat back down. He was still nervous.

Marlena continued. “Now can you see what happened that you lost your breath?”

Sonny licked his lips. “Someone grabbed me from behind. I think it was the guy from the bathroom. He wanted to know if the guy was done.”

Marlena was confused. “Done with what?”

Sonny shook his head. ‘I don’t know. He never said anything. Until…”

Sonny paused. His breathing became rapid. Marlena calmed him again. “Its okay. They can’t hurt you. What did he say?”

Sonny wet his lips. “He said, I don’t want anything from people like you.”

Marlena looked up at Will, then back at Sonny. “What do you think he meant by, people like you?”

A tear ran out of the corner of Sonny’s eye. “I’ve seen that look before. He meant gay people. Then the guy grabbed me from behind.”

Will’s eyes filled with tears, as Marlena asked Sonny to continue. “Take your time and tell me what else happened”

Sonny took a deep breath. “The person walked me from behind the counter. The bigger guy hit me in the stomach and told me that I had a lot of nerve acting like I was like everyone else and that I was nothing. That someone like me didn’t deserve to live.”

Marlena wiped at her face. “What did the other guy do?”

Sonny shook his head. “He just held me. The first hit was with such force, I doubled over, but he grabbed me by my hair and pulled me back up.”

Will put his hand on Marlena. “Do we have to go over all of it.”

Marlena shook her head. “No, we don’t. Sonny can you tell me what happened before they left?”

Sonny sobbed. “I just wanted it to stop. I heard the guy by the door, say that they needed to leave. The bigger guy said that he was going to take the money from the register.”

Marlena pulled herself back together, so that she could finish. “So that’s when they took the money How did you get back behind the counter?”

Sonny took a deep breath and let it out. “The guy that was holding me, asked what he should do and the guy said that , he’s garbage and that’s where he should be, but we don’t have time for that, so just put him back where you found him.”

Marlena wanted to be sure. “So he put you back behind the counter.”

Sonny shook his head. “I could barely stand and he pushed me. I lost my balance and I think I hit my head, but I don’t really remember anything else.”

Will touched his grandmother’s arm. “Can we stop?”

Marlena nodded. “Okay Sonny, I want you to relax and fall deeper into your sleep. When you here 1, you will wake up and not remember anything that you have said.”

Will frowned at his grandmother. “Bu..”

Marlena stopped him. “You will feel rested and relaxed. Do you understand me?”

Sonny nodded and Marlena counted. “3...2...1”

Sonny opened his eyes and began to stretch. “Did I tell you anything?”

Marlena turned from Sonny, as she got up. “Not really. You didn’t give much more than you did before. There were a few details and we know they are college students so it seemed. That’s about it.”

Sonny got up from the sofa. “I didn’t think it would help, but I guess at least we tried.”

Marlena nodded and put away her notes. “I’ll talk to your dad and Hope.”

Will put his arm around Sonny’s shoulder, as they got ready to leave. “Thanks so much grandma.”

Marlena smiled and touch her grandson’s cheek. “Anything that I can do to help my precious boy.”

Then she turned her attention to Sonny. “...and he wonderful boyfriend.”

Sonny smiled at Marlena, as they left. “Sorry that you couldn’t find out more.”

Marlena patted Sonny’s shoulder and Will held open the door. “It was my pleasure and I cherish anytime that I can get to see you boys. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Sonny left and Will mouthed to Marlena over his shoulder before following his boyfriend. “Thank you so much.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny was okay about not remembering after seeing Marlena. Will was a bit more tortured, having heard more of what Sonny had been through, but he put it out of his mind, as they shopped for costumes.

Sonny came out of the dressing room with a cowboy outfit complete with chaps. “I don’t see why we can’t just use something that we already have.”

Will came out of another dressing room. He put on his hat to complete his outfit. “Come on. It’s one night. I don’t have anything I can wear. What do you think?”

Sonny headed back to the dressing room. “I think I look like a fool.”

Will frowned, as he watched Sonny leave. “I think the chaps are a nice touch from this angle, but I meant me.”

Sonny peeked out. “You look like a pickle.”

Will looked at the mirror and frowned. “Pickle. It’s brown.”

Sonny yelled from the dressing room, as he tried on another costume. “Oh. I thought you were Peter Pan.”

Will’s shoulders dropped and he went to try on another outfit. “Fine. Shows how much you know. Its suppose to be Robin Hood.”

Will and Sonny tried on several outfits and rejected them all. They finally came up with an idea. They each went and picked an outfit for the other. Sonny came out first. “This is what you see me as. Really?”

Will came out and looked at his boyfriend. “You look good in black and the leather pants make the outfit.”

Sonny looked at himself in the mirror. “I do like the pants, but Zorro? I won't keep the hat on and I’d rather not have a mask.”

Will shrugged and took his boyfriend’s place in the mirror. “Mine isn’t very original.”

Sonny took off his hat.  "I thought that it was appropriate, considering what most of your family does."

Will looked at himself in the mirror. "Their all detectives."

Sonny watched him from behind. “But I love a man in uniform.”

Will looked over his shoulder and glared at his boyfriend. “So that’s why you picked it?”

Sonny smiled and shrugged. “You can’t fault a guy for trying.”

Will glanced at himself again in the mirror, then walked over to his boyfriend and grabbed him by the waist. “No I can’t, but I guess we should leave our fantasies for another time.”

Sonny kissed Will gently. “Oh, I don’t need costumes for my fantasies.”

Will wiggled his eyebrows and walked Sonny backwards into his dressing room. “Do you need help getting out of your costume?”

Sonny smiled slyly, as he backed into the room. “I think I do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny was at the coffee house and Abby came in. “What’s up cuz.”

Sonny smiled at his cousin. “Not much. I haven’t seen you around. How’s Chad?”

Abby shrugged. “I have no clue. We aren’t together anymore.”

Sonny frowned at his cousin. “What do you mean? You two were all hot and heavy I thought.”

Abby looked at the menu. “I don’t want to talk about it. I’d rather talk about you. Can I have my usual?”

Sonny turned to make Abby’s coffee. “Sure, but I’m not very exciting.”

Abby was obviously down. “You’re with the man you love. I just want to be reminded that love can work.”

Sonny turned back and put Abby’s cup of coffee in front of her. “You sure you don’t want to talk?”

Abby pulled the cup closer. “Yes, I am. Hope stopped by the house to see my mother, she said that they haven’t caught the guys that robbed you yet.”

Sonny didn’t want to tell Abby what really happened. “No. I’m starting to think they won’t.”

Abby took a sip of her coffee. “Its too bad you can’t remember more. You would think there could be something they could do to help.”

Sonny leaned on the counter. “I went to Marlena and she hypnotized me.”

Abby put down her cup and smiled at her cousin. “Really? That must have been weird. I’ve always wanted to be hypnotized. How did it go?”

Sonny wasn’t as thrilled as his cousin. “The hypnosis, went fine. I don’t remember most of it. Marlena said that I didn’t give her much more information. So I guess I’m never going to remember anything.”

Abby felt bad for her cousin. “That’s too bad. Maybe its for the best.”

Sonny nodded. “That’s what I figured. I’m glad I did it though. If nothing came out, I guess nothing ever will. I’d hate to all of a sudden have all the memories came flooding back. I’m not sure how I would handle that.”

Abby gave her cup to Sonny for a refill. “What do you say we change the subject? What are you doing for Halloween?”

Sonny picked up the cup and turned to fill it. “Will and I are going to a party at some frat.”

Abby was excited. “That sounds like fun. Are you going to wear costumes?”

Sonny put Abby’s cup back in front of her “We are.”

Abby smiled at her cousin, as she took a sip. “So what are you going as?”

Sonny leaned on the counter again. “Just a character from a movie. I’m not as into that kind of thing as Will is.”

Abby frowned. “So what is he going as?”

Sonny stood up and began to wipe the counter. “I don’t think he wants me to tell. He was pretty secretive when we left the shop.”

Abby giggle. “You’re kidding right?”

Sonny shook his head. “No I’m not. Will takes Halloween serious and the idea that he’s missed the last 4 of them, makes him even more into this one.”

Abby thought about what Sonny said, as she drank her coffee. “Now that you mentioned it, I do remember him being really into it when we were younger.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will picked up some finishing touches to his costume and ran into Neil. “Hey Neil.”

Neil looked up from the paper he was reading. “Will hi. I was hoping that there was some progress with Sonny’s attack.”

Will noticed the paper, as Neil put it away. “I don’t think there will ever be. Those bastards are going to probably get away with it.”

Neil got up and put the paper on the bench. “Glad to hear some fire in you about this. Has there been any progress?”

Will shook his head. “Sonny can’t remember any real details about the guys, but you’re right that they are from the university, or at least Sonny seemed to think they were.”

Neil became even more interested. “Has he tried looking through mugshots at the police station?”

Sonny gave his grandmother a little more information, but he still didn’t think it was enough. “He doesn’t really remember enough about the guys to know where to start.”

Neil was visibly upset. “Damn. You beat someone up and you just get away with it. Its not right.”

Will agreed. “Its not. He doesn’t remember most of what happened, but my grandmother hypnotized him and he was saying the stuff that happened. I can’t believe that someone would beat him like that, just because he’s gay. I don’t think they even knew him.”

Neil wasn’t surprised at all. “Unfortunately, it comes with the territory and Sonny is there for all to see. They don’t need to know him.”

Will had enough of the conversation. He let out a sigh. “All I know is that I’m glad my grandmother told him not to remember. Can we change the subject? What are you doing for Halloween?”

Neil shrugged. “I don’t know. Probably just go to The Spot. Their having a bubble party. Why?”

Will was intrigued by the idea of a bubble party. “That sound interesting. I thought you might want to go to a frat party.”

Neil turned up his nose. “Frat party? I don't know a lot of frats that get excited by gays crashing their parties.”

Will could understand where Neil was coming from. He tried to reassure him. “No...no..no. It’s cool. A friend of mine is joining and he’s totally cool with gays and he said that the guys at the frat are too. So do you want to come?”

Neil wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know. I’ll probably have a better time at The Spot. You will too.”

Will frowned at his friend. “So being gay defines you?”

Neil shook his head. “No. It’s who I am.”

Will agreed “Me too and I don’t leave it at the door when I leave my house. Sonny runs a coffee house and he doesn’t screen people that come to the door. Maybe if he did, what happened wouldn’t have, but he’s never wrapped himself up in being gay and nothing else and I don’t want to either. You should branch out. Not everyone is out to hurt you.”

Neil was amazed by what Will said. “I wouldn’t have expected that from you, especially after what happened to Sonny.”

Will was kind of surprised too. “Sonny needs to know that his life hasn’t changed and this party does sound like fun. You should stop in. Its a fundraiser of some sort.”

Neil laughed and shook his head. “Never thought I’d go to a frat party.”

Will smiled. He was glad that someone else he knew would be there besides T. “So you’ll come?”

Neil nodded and then turned to pick up his things. “If I can find a date. I’m sure there will be plenty of closet dwellers, but I don’t want to spend my evening looking for them.”

Will headed off. “Great.”


	25. A Voice In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny's Halloween starts off great, until Sonny hears a voice from his past.

Will closed the door and put the bowl on the table. “I think we’re going to run out of candy.”

Sonny came out of the bathroom. “I bought two bags. How much are you giving out?”

Will walked over to his boyfriend. “2 or 3”

Sonny sat down on the bed to fix his boots. “You’re going to have to cut back, there’s still an hour left.”

Will put his cap on. “I always hated when people only gave me one.”

Sonny pushed off of the bed and stood up. “Better to get one, than none at all.”

Will walked over and cradled his head in his hands. “Maybe I should pass out the rest to the next group. You can give me a treat before we leave.”

Sonny smiled up at boyfriend. “I love that idea, but it took me awhile to get these pants laced up.”

Will started at the laces, just as someone knocked on the door. Sonny put his hands on his boyfriend’s to stop him. “Down boy. Go take care of the little monsters”

Will frowned, as he went to get the bowl of candy. “Okay, but don’t move, I’ll be right back.”

Sonny watched as Will opened the door, to greet their guest. He was so into the holiday. “Oh my gosh. What an awesome costume.”

Will finished and closed the door. Sonny walked up and grabbed him by the face to kiss him. “You are just a big kid and I love it.”

Will smiled, as he leaned back. “We can turn off the lights and they’ll think we’re gone.”

Sonny ran his hand down the font of Will’s shirt. “I’ll admit, that when I said I liked a guy in a uniform, baseball wasn’t what I had in mind. But your ass looks really hot in those pants.”

Will started at the ties on Sonny’s pants again. “They’re easy access. The Zorro pants were too. You’re hot as Will Turner, but you should have gone that route. I can help though.”

Sonny laughed and stepped away. “We better stop. We’re suppose to meet Neil and the kids are still coming.”

Will frowned at Sonny, as he watched him walk away. “You didn’t just say coming.”

Sonny disappeared into the bathroom and yelled behind himself. “Yes I did and I’m going.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will and Sonny had gotten together with Neil and his friend Alan. The were walking to the house and Neil stopped. “There’s quite a line.”

Will shrugged. “T said it was going to be quite the party. Why don’t we do the haunted house, while you get tickets for the party.”

Neil didn’t want to stand in line, but Alan was up for it, so they parted ways and went to stand in line.”

Sonny waved at Neil and Alan, as the walked around the house, to where a sign indicated the haunted house was located. “We don’t have to do the haunted house.”

Will took Sonny by the hand. “Don’t worry, I won’t let the monsters get you.”

Sonny elbowed his boyfriend. “I told you, I’m not as into this stuff as you are. So be nice.”

Will put his arm around Sonny’s shoulders. “I tried to be nice earlier and you wouldn’t let me.”

Sonny kissed Will on the cheek. “I’ll make it up to you later. I promise.”

Will made his way through the door. “I’m going to hold you to that.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Neil and Alan made their way up the line. A few people had joined behind them. 

They were almost up to the front, when one of the frat brothers came out. He was dressed as Ozzy Osbourne and was talking to the guy that was taking the money. “You see the tall guy, about 6 people back? Don’t let him in.”

The man frowned over his shoulder. “Why not? They told me to let everyone in.”

Peter continued to talk low. “We got enough of his kind coming in.”

The man didn’t understand. “His kind? Doctors?”

Peter didn’t really want to elaborate. “I just don’t like him. So come up with a reason to not let him in.”

The guy was confused. “Like what?”

Peter was losing his temper. “I don’t know. Fire code.”

The guy nodded. “Okay. Got it.”

Peter went inside. “Good.”

The guy started taking the cash again and Neil finally made it up to the front. “Two please.”

The guy shook his head. “Sorry. Can’t let you in.”

Neil frowned. “What do you mean? We’ve been standing here for 15 minutes.”

The guy closed the cash box. “City ordinance.”

Alan wasn’t buying it. “What kind of ordinance? Against gays?”

Neil normally would have agreed. He grabbed Alan’s arm. “It’s okay. Let’s not make a scene.”

Alan frowned at his friend, as they walked away. Neil looked over his shoulder. “He’s sending everyone away.”

Alan looked at the crowd and saw they were leaving. “Oh. Maybe he was telling the truth.”

Neil looked up at the house. “It doesn’t seem that crowded, but they do have tickets that were sold before. So maybe they could only take so many at the door.”

Alan frowned. “What about your friends. We were suppose to meet them inside.”

Neil took out his phone. I'll have to ...damn. I forgot to charge my phone.”

Alan took out his. “Here, you can use mine.”

Neil shook his head. “I don’t know Will’s or Sonny’s number. This is the worse. Let’s go.”

Alan was up for anything. “It’s your call, if you want to leave them.”

Neil put his arm around Alan and led him down the street. “Let’s go to my place and have a drink. I’ll charge my phone and we can call them later.”

Will and Sonny came back around and didn’t see anyone in line, so they made their way inside. The house was crowded with people. “Neil and Alan must be inside somewhere, but lets see if we can find T.”

They made their way through the rooms and a guy offered them a beer. Sonny took one and offered it to Will, who shook his head. He spotted T. “Hey T.”

T saw his friend. “Hey guys. Isn’t this crazy?’’

Sonny agreed. “It is. The place is packed. No wonder they stopped letting people in.”

T frowned. “They did?”

Will nodded. “There was nobody in line when we came in.”

T smiled. “That’s because they’re all in here.”

Sonny looked around. “It certainly seems like it.”

One of the frat brothers got T’s attention. “One of the guys needs me. You guys have fun.”

Will smiled at his friend, as he moved to the side. “We will. Talk to you later.”

Sonny watched T leave. “Should we find Neil?”

Will grabbed Sonny’s hand and led him to the other room. “We’ll do it later. I want to dance with you first.”

Sonny smiled, as his boyfriend dragged him through the crowd. ‘Fine by me.”

There was a DJ and the floor was crowded with people. Sonny wasn’t sure. “I think we’re the only gays here. You sure its going to be okay.”

Will looked at the crowd and then turned back to his boyfriend. “Its never been like you to care. The floor’s so crowded, you can’t tell who's dancing with who anyway.”

Sonny shrugged. He was doing better, but his attack, did make him more aware of people. “I guess you’re right.”

They made their way into the crowd and bounced around with everyone else. 

Peter stood at the side and watched them. He peeked of the dark glasses of his Ozzie Osborne costume. His red hair covered by the black wig. He was talking to another frat brother. “Look at them. Dancing at our party. We obviously didn’t show him a good enough lesson”

The other guy nodded. “I’m still mad he didn’t have much money in the register.”

Peter frowned at his friend. “That wasn’t why we were there, but if we had more time, I would have given him another kick for that.”

The other guy nodded. “Maybe we should pay him another visit.”

Peter put his arm around his friend and led him away. “All in good time Chris. All in good time.”

The music had slowed and Will started to leave the floor, but Sonny grabbed his hand. “Where are you going?”

Will stopped and stepped closer to his boyfriend. “I figured that you would want to take a break. The floor’s not as crowded.”

Sonny smiled, as he pulled Will to him. He had finished his beer and was feeling more like himself. “Good, people can see us and be jealous.”

Will wrapped his arms around Sonny’s neck. “Only if you’re okay with it.”

Sonny pulled Will in close. “I’m feeling better. I’m glad you convinced me to come.”

Will leaned his head on Sonny’s shoulder. “So am I.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The room was crowded and Peter was with Chris. They had obviously had too much to drink. One of the pledges came through to give him another beer. He spilled it on Peter’s shoes and Peter got angry. “Look at what you did. You’re a piece of garbage and don’t deserve to be a pledge.”

Will and Sonny were taking a break and were standing by the fireplace. “I wonder where Neil is?”

Sonny shook his head and was about to answer, when he heard the commotion behind him. He stopped and stood frozen in front of Will and Will looked at him. “What’s wrong?”

Peter had left the room to clean his shoes off, just as Sonny turned around to look for him, but he didn’t see anyone that looked like it could be the person that he was looking for.

Will grabbed his arm. “Hey...hey. What’s going on?”

Sonny continued trying to scan the dark room and then slowly turned back around, a look of horror on his face. “He’s here.”

Will wasn’t sure what his boyfriend was talking about. “Who’s here?”

Sonny was obviously shaken. “The man from the coffee house.”

Will looked over Sonny’s shoulder and tried to see. “Where?”

Sonny was worried. “I don’t know, but we should leave.”

Will took out his phone. “Okay. Let me text Neil and have him meet us outside.”

Sonny watched as Will looked at his phone. “Okay.”

Will frowned at his phone. “I’m not getting a signal. So it’s not going through..”

Sonny sighed. “Let’s just go. We can text him from outside.”

Will put his hand on Sonny’s shoulder, to calm him. “It’s okay. You said that you can’t see him. He can’t do anything to you here anyway. Give me 10 minutes and I’ll go see if I can find Neil.”

Sonny didn’t want to wait, but Will was right. No one in the room looked anything like the guy and he wouldn’t attack him in a crowded room. “10 minutes. That’s it and I’m out of here.”

Will nodded his agreement. “10 minutes and stay right here.”

Sonny took a deep breath and watched Will as he left, then turned, so that he could watch the other people in the room.

Will made his way into the hall and ran into T. “Hey man, have you see my friend Neil?”

T was carrying a case of beer. “No. He might be out in the backyard. A lot of people have spilled out there.”

Will patted his friend on the back. “I’ll check. Do me a favor and go keep Sonny company. He’s by the fireplace in the other room.”

T frowned at his friend. “Did he drink too much?”

Will leaned closer to his friend. “He thinks that the guy that attacked him is here.”

T was shocked. “Are you shitting me? He’s probably freaking out.”

Will nodded, as he headed off to the yard. “You can imagine. So go stay with him till I get back.”

T headed off. “I need to drop this off at the bar, but I’m on it.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
T made his way to the bar. Peter had cleaned up and went to get another drink. “Hey Drudge. Bout time you got here with that beer.”

T put down the box. “I need to go help out a friend.”

Peter wrapped his arm around T’s neck. “We’re your friends now.”

T agreed. “You guys are the best, but I have one that’s freaking out, because he thinks some guy that beat him up is here.”

Peter released his hold on T. “Those the friends from the bowling alley?”

T nodded. “Yeah. I need to go. He’s alone, while Will is in the yard looking for someone.”

Peter waved T off. “Then you better get going.”

T made his way out, as Peter watched him. He then made his way out into the hall and ran into Chris. “We’re not going to wait. We’re going to have some fun tonight.”

Chris was always up for some fun. “What are we going to do?”

Peter smiled, as he thought about what the evening had in store. “You and Eddie meet me by the side. We’re going to take a little ride.”

Chris nodded, as he headed off. “Will do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Peter made his way out to the yard and saw Will was on his way back in. “Hey Will right?”

Will stopped and stared at the guy in front of him. “And you are Ozzy Osbourn.”

Peter smiled “Just for the night. I’m T’s friend. He told me to tell you that he went out front with your boyfriend.”

Will nodded. He knew that Sonny wouldn’t last long. “That’s fine. I didn’t find my friend. So I just sent him a text to tell him that we were leaving.”

Will started to go inside and Peter stopped him. “You can cut around the side of the house. Its probably easier. I’ll show you.”

Will smiled and followed Peter through the yard and around to the gate. “Okay. Thanks.”

They made it to the side gate and Peter opened it to let Will through. “Just walk up the path and you’ll be in front.”

Will walked through the gate and started towards the front, when someone threw a plastic bag over his head and held it tight. Will struggled with the person, but the more he did the less air was in the bag and he eventually passed out from lack of oxygen.

He went limp and Chris caught him.

Peter came and helped him stuff Will into the backseat of the car. Chris jumped in, while Peter walked around and got in the front seat. He smiled at the driver. “Let’s go and have some fun.”

Eddie smiled back at his friend. “Yeah.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will was right. Sonny didn’t want to stay inside, even with T keeping him company. They made their way out the front. Just as the car was coming out of the driveway. T noticed them. “Looks like another beer run.”

Sonny wasn’t paying attention. He was trying to reach his boyfriend. “Why hasn’t he texted me back?”

T looked down at Sonny’s phone. “I told you to wait. He’s probably back inside looking for us.”

Sonny was about to make his way back in. When Neil came walking up. “Hey guys.”

Sonny turned back to Neil. “Hey Neil, where’s Will and Alan?”

Neil frowned slightly and pointed over his shoulder. “Alan decided to go to The Spot. I figured Will was with you.”

Sonny shook his head. “He went looking for you at the party. He didn’t find you?”

Neil was still a bit disappointed. “Alan and I never made it in. They said they were at their capacity. That sucked, because it looked like a great party.”

T was confused. “There was no capacity limits. At least that’s what they told us when we had to sell tickets.”

Neil didn’t think that T was lying, but maybe he was just being duped. “I’m sure they wanted to sell as many tickets as you guys could, but after they told us, that we couldn’t get in, everyone behind us left.”

Sonny verified what Neil was saying. “There wasn’t a line when we came in.”

T didn’t doubt the guys. “I know Will told me that, but I took a beer out to the front, not long after I left you guys and there was a line then.”

Neil was confused. “I don’t get it then. Oh well. Where’s Will?”

Sonny looked back towards the house. “I’m not sure If he’s not with you, maybe he’s inside.”

Neil pulled out his phone. “He just sent me a text, saying that he was going to meet you out here.”

Sonny was even more confused. “I haven’t seen him since he left me about 20 minutes ago and we’ve been out here for about 5, so where could he be?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will began to come to. He realized that his hands were tied. He wasn’t sure where he was, as he frowned down at them and tried to get up. Chris pushed him back down. “Just lay there and relax. We’re going for a little ride.”

Will tried to see in the darkness. “Who are you?”

Peter took off his Ozzy Osbourne wig and ran his hand through his hair, before looking over into the back seat. “We’re friends of your boyfriend.”

Will tried to get up again, but Chris held him down. “Where’s Sonny?”

Peter turned back towards the front. “I wouldn’t worry about him. You’re the one that’s has a problem.”


	26. Halloween Horrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny realizes that Will is in trouble. Neil and T join in to try and save him.

Sonny looked at his phone again. “I don’t get it. I’ve texted him and called him and he still hasn’t gotten back to me yet.”

T tried to be optimistic. “You said he didn’t get a signal inside, so maybe he just hasn’t gotten them yet.”

Neil wasn’t buying T’s reasoning. “His text to me 15 minutes ago, said that he was meeting you outside, so why would he still be in the house.”

T refused to think the worse. “Maybe he went to the bathroom. I don’t know.”

Sonny took out his phone again. “I do.”

Neil watched Sonny. “Who are you calling?”

T finally decided to give in. “Will doesn’t seem to be around here, so I guess we should call the cops.”

Sonny continued to work on his phone. “I’m not calling the cops, I’m checking this new app I downloaded the other day.”

T and Neil both moved closer to see what Sonny was doing. “What new app?”

Sonny looked at the screen. “Will lost his phone in my apartment and I was trying to find it. Someone had told me about an app to track a phone?”

T was impressed. “That’s cool. So is Will’s showing up?”

Sonny nodded, as he frowned at the phone. “Where is he going?”

Neil took the phone and looked at it. “Looks like he’s going to the lake. Who with? I thought you guys came in my car.”

Sonny took his phone back and looked at it. Then he got a terrible feeling come over him. “They have him.”

Neil didn’t know what Sonny was talking about. “Who has him?”

Sonny headed for his car, as he continued to keep his eye on his phone. “The guy that beat me up.”

Neil and T ran to catch up with his friend. Neil was still confused. “Why would they take him. I think you’re being a bit paranoid.”

Sonny got his key out and opened the car. “I heard him when we were inside.”

Neil grabbed Sonny’s arm to keep him from getting in the car. “Wait. What the fuck are you talking about.”

Sonny pulled away from Neil. “I need to get to him.”

T stood next to Neil and tried to reason with his friend. “Will told me what you thought you heard, but he said that you didn’t see anyone.”

Sonny really didn’t want to take the time to explain. He needed to get to Will. “Everyone was in costumes. Even if they weren’t, I’m not sure I’d recognize him, but I know his voice.”

Neil wanted to believe Sonny, but wasn’t sure how that could be reliable. “You picked a voice out of the crowd? That’s just as hard as picking out a person in the dark.”

Sonny started to get in the car. “It’s not just his voice. Its what he said. It was just like that night. Get in the car and I’ll explain.”

T got in the back seat, while Neil ran around and got in the front. He closed the door. “So what did he say.”

Sonny pulled out of the parking space. “I’m not sure what happened, but the guy was mad. He called someone garbage and said that they weren’t worthy of being a pledge.”

T leaned forward and interrupted. “Pledge? Are you trying to say it was one of my frat brothers. There’s no way.”

Sonny pulled onto the road. “I don’t know who it was, but him calling that person garbage, was what he called me, right before saying that I should be out with the trash.”

Neil shook his head. “That’s unreal. Will didn’t tell me that.”

Sonny watched his phone as he drove down the street. “He didn't know. I didn’t remember it. Him saying that, must have tripped something.”

Neil watched Sonny. “Did you remember anything else?”

Sonny didn’t want to think about it. He just knew he had to find Will. “Yeah, but I don’t want to talk about it now.”

T still didn’t want to buy any of what Sonny was saying. “You mean to tell me that the only thing that you remember about this guy is his voice.”

Sonny checked his phone again. “I remember a little about him. He’s was kind of tall and had reddish hair. I didn’t see anyone like that there though, but as I said, everyone was in costume.”

T sat back. He knew exactly who Sonny was talking about. “Holy fuck.”

Neil looked back at T. “What’s wrong?”

T ran his hands over his face and took out his phone. “We better call the cops.”

Sonny pushed the button on his phone. “That’s a good idea, but I’ve got someone better. Hello Hope?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hope was at Jennifer’s house for a book club meeting. She saw Sonny’s number and was worried that he was calling her. 

Adrienne was there with her, Jennifer and Kayla. She didn’t want to worry her, so she had left the room to take the call. She came back and was getting her coat. “It seems that one of us always has to leave and this time its my turn.”

Jennifer got up and went to the door. “Oh no. Do you have to go to the station?”

Hope put on her coat. “I’m going to the lake. There seems to be something going on there, but I hope I’m wrong.”

Jennifer was concerned. “Its Halloween, so it can’t be good.”

Hope continued to speak softly. “Exactly and even worse, it might have to do with Will.”

Jennifer was horrified. “Will? What happened?”

Hope didn’t really know more and needed to go. “I’m not sure. Sonny called and he was worried.”

Adrienne had come to the door to see what was taking Jennifer so long. “Sonny? What’s happened to him now?”

Hope shook her head. “Sonny’s fine. He just called me, but if he’s right, we might have a lead on the people that attacked him.”

Adrienne was even more worried. “I heard you mention Will.”

Hope headed for the door. “They may have him. I’ve got to go.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Eddie pulled to a spot in the park and turned off engine. He left the lights on so that they could see in the secluded area.

Peter opened his door and got out. “So lets see if our friend wants to play.”

Will had come to the realization that the people that had taken him from the party were the same people that had beat up Sonny. He was still laying in the backseat of the car. “Why are you doing this?”

Chris patted the side of Will’s face, probably a little harder than necessary and looked down at him. “We saw that you like to party and thought that you wanted to join ours.”

Will turned his face away from the man above him. “I’m not interested in partying. What did you do to me, that made me pass out?”

Peter opened the door near Will’s feet. He leaned in to get him out of the car. “We don’t want to tell you all of our secrets. That would spoil the fun.”

Will saw that the man had taken off his wig and even in the dim light, his reddish hair was evident. He immediately realized that the man was the one that had tormented Sonny. It wasn’t the smartest thing to do. He pulled in his legs and kicked at the man. Hitting him in his balls. “Get the hell away from me.”

Peter immediately went down and held his crotch. “You motherfucking fa**ot. Get him out of the car.”

Eddie grabbed Will and pulled him out of the car. Will lost his balance and fell flat on his face. He tried to use his hands to break his fall, but they were of little use, since they were tied in front of him. His hand hit the ground bending his wrist. He winced in pain. “I know who you are.”

Peter slowly stood up. He walked over to Will, as he laid on the ground “Get him up.”

Eddie and Chris both took one of Will’s arms and pulled him to his feel. “Get up.”

Will was glad to get off the ground. He could tell where he was. He was at the lake outside of town. “Why did you bring me out here?”

Peter was tired of Will talking. He smacked him, with the back of his hand. “You don’t get it. It doesn’t matter where we are. I brought you here for some fun and so far, I’m not having any.”

Will could feel the blood as it began to fill his mouth, as his tooth tore the inside of his mouth. He spit it out. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”

Peter smiled. “That’s better. Nothing right now. You said you know who we are. I think I want you to think about what’s to come. That’s why I wanted to be someplace private. Why don’t you tie him to that tree. I want to have a smoke first.”

Eddie and Chris pulled a struggling Will over to the tree that Peter pointed to. Eddie pulled out another piece of twine and tied Will to the tree. “You’re more feisty than the other fairies we’ve come across. That’s going to make this even more fun.”

Will glared at the men, as they went over to join their friend. “If I can get my hands undone. I’ll show you feisty.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny pulled to the side of the road. T leaned up between the seats. “Why are we stopping?”

Sonny picked up his phone. “It looks like they’re up ahead. I don’t want them to see me.”

Neil started to get out of the car. “Then lets go get those bastards.”

Sonny grabbed Neil’s arm to stop him. “Maybe we should wait for Hope.”

Neil stopped and looked over at Sonny. “You said you remember what happened and don’t want to talk about it. Let me ask you, do you want Will to go through the same thing?”

Sonny shook his head and opened his door. “No. We better go see if he’s okay, but we need to be quiet.”

The two men agreed and they all got out of the car. Neil started off. “Let’s get them.”

Sonny caught Neil’s arm. “We’re only going to look. If they’re not doing anything, we should wait.”

T agreed. “We could make things worse.”

Neil didn’t like the idea of depending on the cops. He had been burned before, but he agreed anyway. “Fine. We’ll only move in if we need to.

Sonny lead the way, watching his phone, as the other men followed him. They were near the lake and T saw a light ahead of them. He tapped Sonny on the shoulder. “I think I’ve found them.”

Sonny and Neil looked in the direction that T was pointing. Neil grabbed Sonny and pulled him over behind a tree and T followed. “Do you see Will?”

Sonny looked around and spotted him by a tree away from the men. He pointed him out to his friends. “He’s over there.”

T frowned, as he tried to see better. “Why is he just sitting there?”

Neil helped T out. “He’s tied to the tree. Looks like we got here in time. They seem to be getting their courage up.”

Sonny was fully aware of what they were getting up their courage to do. He looked at his phone. “I’m going to text Hope.”

Neil watched the 3 men, as they began to laugh. “Tell her to hurry. Looks like they're almost there.”

Sonny tapped his phone and then tried to face it in different directions. “Damn. It’s like a fucking horror movie. I’m not getting a signal.”

Neil and T both pulled out their phones. T put his away. “I got nothin either.”

Neil put his phone in his pocket. “There’s only one thing we can do.”

Sonny shook his head. “We don’t know if they have guns or something.”

Neil wasn’t buying what Sonny was saying. “Guys like these, just like to scare you. They have a helpless victim. They don’t need guns. There looks like there’s 3 of them and there’s 3 of us. We can take them.” 

Sonny still wasn’t sure. “I still think we should wait.”

Neil was getting angry. He yelled in a low voice. “Wait for what? For them to beat Will to a pulp. I’m not going to do that.”

Before Sonny could try and argue. The three men got up and walked over to Will. Peter stood in the middle and Eddie and Chris, stood on either side. “Have you had time to think about what we’re going to do to you?”

Will looked up at the men. He was in the middle of nowhere and no one had any clue where he was. He had tried to get to his phone, but he had no luck. He was well aware of what these guys had done to Sonny and knew that he was probably in for the same treatment, but he still didn’t want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that he was defeated. “It doesn’t matter what you do to me. You hate me because I’m gay, but at least I’m not a coward.”

Peter decided that it was time to show Will that he was anything but a coward. “Untie him.”

Eddie frowned at Peter, as he walked over to do as he was told. “You sure? It’s more fun when they don’t run.”

Peter was feeling overly confident. “Where is he going to run? There’s no one out here. Just untie him.”

Eddie untied Will and Will continued to sit by the tree. “What about my hands?”

Peter wasn’t about to let Will get the better of him. “Check his pockets first.”

Eddie patted Will’s pockets to see if anything was in them. He noticed something in his front pocket and reached in to get it out. Will smiled down at him. “You sure you’re not gay? You seemed to be reaching in there pretty far.”

Eddie raised his hand to hit Will. “I outta…”

Peter knew what Will was doing. “He just playing with you Eddie. Get whatever it is out of his pocket, so that we can untie him and see if he really does like to play games.”

Eddie put down his fist and took Will’s phone out of his pocket. He walked over and gave it to Peter. “Its just his phone.”

Peter took the phone from Eddie and dropped it on the ground. He stomped on it several times with his boot heel. “We don’t want anyone to interrupt us.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hope was watching the tracker, when it stop. “Damn, what happened?”

She dialed Sonny’s number to try and see if he was still getting a signal and it went to voicemail. “Sonny I hope you aren’t doing anything stupid.”

She picked up her police radio. “This is detective Brady. I’ve lost the signal to our victim. We are going to still head to the place that we had as his location. Everyone stay sharp. We don’t want them to know we are coming. So we’re on silent approach. When we get there, I’ll give further instructions. Out.”

Hope continued to the lake. “Please let Will be okay.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny looked down at his phone. “Damn!”

T looked over Sonny’s shoulder to see what was wrong. “What is it?”

Sonny showed T his phone. “Will’s signal disappeared. Now Hope isn’t going to be able to track him like we did.’

Neil started to head off. “Then we have no choice than to handle it ourselves.”

Sonny grabbed at Neil. “We need to figure out what to do.”

Neil pulled away from Sonny, knocking him off balance and into the dry leaves. Peter turned around. “What the hell was that.”

Chris and Eddie also heard the noise and looked in the same direction. “Maybe it was an animal.”

Peter went over to get Will up. “You go and see, maybe someone has come to join our party. Come out, come out whoever you are.”

Neil knew he had messed up. “I’m sorry man.”

Sonny got up. “Don’t worry. I’ll go out and you two get out of here. If you see an out take it and go get help.”

T patted Sonny on the back, before he and Neil crawled off. “You take care.”

Sonny turned, after watching his friends leave and got up. He walked into the clear. “Let my boyfriend go you bastards. The cops are on their way.”

Peter smiled when he saw who had been hiding. “Really, then why didn’t you bring them with you? Chris, go get his phone.”

Chris went over and Sonny stepped back. “I’m not giving you anything.”

Peter held, the still tied up Will by the neck, as he struggled. “This could be easy or it can be very hard. Give him your phone or I’ll break his neck and you can take his place. I know you remember how fun that is.”

Sonny looked at Will, who was trying to shake his head and tell him not to do it, but Sonny handed his phone over to Chris. “Fine. What are you going to do with us?’

Peter untied Will and walked over to the car and sat on the hood. “I’m not going to do anything this time. I’m going to let Eddie and Chris have the fun. Did I tell you that Chris is on the boxing team and Eddie is a second degree black belt? Let’s see how you do against them.”

Sonny and Will made eye contact, just as Eddie and Chris took their first swing. They both were able to block the punch and began scuffling with the two men.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Neil had left Sonny and started back towards the car, but then turned and started heading the other way. T caught his arm. “Where are you going? We need to get back to the road, for a signal and make sure the cops know where we are.”

Neil pulled away from T and started back the other way. “You call the cops. I’m not going to let those assholes beat up Will and Sonny. They’re your frat brothers. So I’m sure you don’t want them to get hurt, but I don’t care.”

T got angry with Neil. “I never was close with those guys. They aren’t like everyone else. They’re legacy members and think they run the place, but they’re seniors and will be gone next year, so I didn’t care. Everyone else is nice.”

Neil rolled his eyes and shook his head “Straight people never believe that people are bigots, but I know that more people are than let on. I’m outta here.”

T didn’t want Neil to cause more trouble and followed him. “What are you going to do?”

Neil talked over his shoulder, as he continued circling around the group. “Peter, the big guy is watching the fighting and the other guys are occupied. I’m going to grab him from behind and get him to make the others stop. That’s way Will and Sonny can get them under control.”

T wasn’t so sure. “He’s pretty big.”

Neil smiled, as he crouched down and watched through the trees. “The bigger they are the harder they fall.”

Sonny was holding his own, with Chris, but Eddie with a need to get even, for Will’s joke, had him on the ground. “You think you can make jokes about me you filthy piece of shit. You’re not smiling now.”

Sonny wanted to help Will, but Chris wasn’t easy to take down. He wasn’t very big, but he was really strong.

Peter sat on the car and laughed. “Come on Chris. You going to let that sissy beat you. Maybe I should find another friend.”

Neil grabbed Peter around the neck and got him in a chokehold, pulling him off the hood of the car. “What you need is an attitude adjustment.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hope had made it to the lake. She picked up her radio. “Okay everyone. We are still in silent mode. We need to surround the lake. There are three main roads. Look and see if you see Sonny Kiriakis car. Williams follow me. Hernandez, Johnson take the left road and McFee, Underwood take the right. They have 20 minutes on us, so we need to be sharp and find them ASAP.

Hope put down her radio. “And pray that they are alright.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Peter pulled to get away from Neil, but he had him tightly. “You’re going to pay for this “

Neil recognized Peter when he got closer to him. “You should have paid a long time ago and now I’m going to make sure that you do.”

Peter struggled to see who was holding him, then laughed when he recognized Neil. “You. You didn’t win then and you aren’t going to win now.”

Neil felt differently. He noticed that Will was losing his battle with Eddie. “T, why don’t you give our buddy Will a hand.”

T ran over and grabbed Eddie to pull him off of his friend. “My pleasure.”

Sonny gave Chris a final punch and knocked him to the ground. He was breathing heavy. “Why don’t you give it up.”

Will got up and held his hand to his throat. “Thanks T.”

T smiled. “No problem. I guess we have these guys under control.”

Peter yelled from over by the car. “I thought we were going to play nice, but you guys just blew it.”

Sonny made sure that Chris was still down, before he looked over at Peter. Will stood by T, as he continued to hold Eddie by the throat. They too looked when they heard Peter’s voice. 

They couldn’t see him at first, because of the headlights, as he walked towards them. It seemed like Neil was with him. Will had more than enough. “What are you talking about Peter. We are not playing anymore of your sick game.”

Peter finally came into view. Neil was next to him, but he wasn’t moving. When Peter realized that he had the boys attention, he let Neil go and he fell to the ground in front of them. The bloody knife still in Peter’s hand, as the boys looked down at Neil. “The game is over when I say it’s over.”


	27. A Shot In The Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will, Sonny and T fight for their lives, when Peter wants to continue with his game.

Will started to run to Neil, but Peter stepped forward and he stopped. “Tsk, tsk, tsk. Acting that way in front of your boyfriend. I guess people like you don’t know what monogamy is. How many guys are you fucking or do you like them to fuck you?”

Will started to fly at Peter, but Sonny stopped him. “Don’t Will. He’s just trying to get to you.”

Will looked at Sonny. “Look what he did to Neil.”

Sonny nodded. “I know.”

Peter played with his knife. “You should probably listen to him. I wouldn’t want to gut you sooner than I have to. Now let my friend go.”

Sonny and Will looked over at T and he did as Peter said. “Fine.”

Peter watched, as Eddie walked over towards him, rubbing his neck. “Get Chris up.”

The boys watched, as Eddie helped Chris up. Sonny was worried because Neil wasn’t moving. “I wasn’t kidding about the police. They were tracing Will’s phone.”

Peter didn’t really care what Sonny was saying. He was more interested in his friends. “You guys disgust me. Do you want to do this or not.”

T decided that he would try and reason with his frat brothers. “Come on guys. You don’t want to do this. We’re all on the same side. This isn’t what being a Phi Kappa is about.”

Peter walked over to T and placed the knife under his chin. “You have enough nerve to talk to me about the brotherhood? My family made the brotherhood and you don’t deserve to be a part of it. Hanging around this filth.”

Peter moved from T and stood in front of Will. He stared down at him. “You two grew up together didn’t you?”

Will nodded. “Yeah we did. He knows that being gay, doesn’t change who I am.”

Peter pushed Will away. “What you are is a freak.”

Sonny started towards Will, but Chris and Eddie were recovered and quickly made their way over to the two men, to make sure that they stayed under control..

Peter turned his attention back to T. “You aren’t any better than they are. The only reason, that you would want to hang around such filth, is if you want to be like them. Is that it? All the time you were growing up, you secretly wanted in his pants.”

T shook his head. “No I didn’t.”

Peter stepped back and looked at the three men. “Yeah I think you did. Eddie, tie up that one. I think we’re going to start our party.”

Sonny started to protest and Peter quickly grabbed Will to bring him over by him . Using the knife to keep him in line. “You wouldn’t want me to hurt your boyfriend.”

Eddie grabbed Sonny’s hands and tied them behind him. “You’re not feeling so tough now are you?”

Peter turned his attention back to T. “This is your lucky day. As my drudge, you are here to please me.”

T shook his head. “I swore to uphold the fraternity, but I’m not going to do anything that you say.”

Chris decided to persuade T, by punching him in the stomach. “Show us some respect.”

T fell to his knees after the blow. “You don’t deserve it.”

Chris quickly backhanded T across the face. “If you don’t…”

Will didn’t want his friend to pay because of him. “STOP! Its okay T. Just do what they say.”

T ran the back of his hand across his face. “No.”

Peter moved the knife from Will’s side to his neck. “You’re right, you don’t have to. I’ve rid the earth of one parasite. You can watch while I rid it of another one.”

T stretched out his hand to stop Peter. “Okay. Fine. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Peter smiled and lowered the knife again. “Good boy. Now get over here.”

T walked over and stood in front of Will and Peter. He looked at his friend. “I’m so sorry man.”

Peter was not impressed. “You sicken me. Get on your knees.”

T turned his attention to Peter. “What for?”

Peter smiled, as he pointed the knife at T. “As your frat brother, I’m going to let you do something that I know you always have wanted to. Now on your knees.”

T lowered to his knees in front of Will, as Peter put the knife back in Wil’s side. He shook his head. “I know what you want and I’m not going to do it.”

Peter nodded at Chris. “Then Chris will help you.”

Sonny tried to get away from Eddie. “Stop!”

Peter looked over at Sonny and whispered in Will’s ear. “I think your boyfriend is jealous.”

Will looked over at Sonny, who was still trying to pull away from his captor. “Its okay Sonny.”

Peter pulled his arm tighter around Will’s neck. “Your sentiments are disgusting me.”  
.  
Will grabbed Peter’s arm to try and loosen his grip. “Its called love. You should try it”

Peter had enough. “I don’t want any part of your sick form of love. First I want to show this toad, what you get for cozying up to people like you. Undo his pants.Chris.”

T leaned back away from his friend. “You must be crazy.”

Peter took his knife hand and hit T across the face. “I’m not crazy.”

Chris had started to undo Will’s pants. He knew that this might be his only chance. He kneed Chris in the face and then grabbed Peter’s arm, after he struck T. “T take care of him.”

T forgot about his face and got up to get Chris. Eddie saw the commotion and let Sonny go to help. Sonny stuck out his foot to trip him and Eddie fell face first to the ground. Sonny quickly jumped on his back. When Eddie pushed him over, Sonny managed to get his legs around his neck and began to tighten them around his throat, to hold him down.

T had got Chris to the ground and was trying to get the upper hand, but was failing badly, with the much bigger man.

Will had managed to knock the knife out of Peter’s hand and they struggled on the ground. Will was holding his own, but Peter eventually out over Will and got him down. He began to hit him across the face. Will tried to fight back, but Peter was too much for him, and was out after the next blow.

Peter continued to straddle Will. as he reached over for his knife. He turned and saw Sonny, who has managed to subdue Eddie. He pointed the knife at him. “You stay there. I want you to see your boyfriend die..”

Peter raised his knife and Sonny was just about to run at him, when Sonny heard a shot and saw Peter fall to the side. He turned and saw Hope walk into the headlights and towards them. Her gun drawn. “Are you okay?”

Sonny started towards Will, but Hope stopped him. “I’m fine.”

T pulled Chris to his feet. “...and so am I.”

Hope went to check Eddie. “He’s got a pulse. He’s alive.”

Sonny walked over to Will.. “Who cares about him? How’s Will?”

Hope moved Peter to the side and checked her nephew. “He seems to just be out. Come on Will. Wake up sweetie.”

Will raised his hand to his head, as he came to. “I’m okay.”

Sonny smiled and kneeled down by his boyfriend. “You’re more than okay.”

Will slowly pushed up on his elbow and saw Peter on the ground. “He dead?”

Sonny shook his head. “No, but I wish he was.”

Will felt the same way. Sonny helped him sit up. “What about Neil?”

With everything that had been going own, Sonny had forgotten about him “Oh my god. Hope.”

Hope was on her radio, calling for transport, but stopped when Sonny called her. “What is it?”

Sonny walked over to the side, where Peter had dropped Neil’s body and stooped down. Hope followed him and watch as he shook the body. “Neil. Come on Neil.”

Hope walked over and checked for a pulse. She opened his jacket. “He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s got a pulse. Keep pressure on his wound. I’ll call it in.”

T helped Will over to Sonny and Neil. “Is he dead?”

Sonny kept pressure on Neil’s stomach. He leaned close to him. “No and he’s not going to, because he’s not going to let that bastard win.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny and Will didn’t want to, but Hope insisted that everyone go to the hospital. Sonny, Will and T were waiting in the hall for an examining room. T was still trying to take it all in. “People said that Peter was crazy, but I never thought they meant like this.”

Will put his arm around his friend. “There was no way that you could.”

T shook his head. He had done some stupid things to try and fit in, but this was the worse. “He tried to kill all of us and its my fault.”

Sonny walked over and stood in front of T. “How could it be your fault?”

T looked up at his friend. “He was asking about you?”

Sonny sat on the other side of T. “He was? When?”

T looked down at his hands. “At the bowling alley. I came over to talk to Will and when I came back, he was asking me all these questions. He never talked to me before and I was glad he seemed interested.”

Sonny put his hand on T’s leg. “It was a conversation. I’m sure he didn’t say anything that seemed strange. Bigots are use to hiding their feelings.”

T closed his eyes and let out a sigh, before looking up at Sonny. “I told him your name and that you owned the coffee house. I told him that he should stop by. Its my fault he beat you up.”

Will saw the shocked look on Sonny’s face. He rubbed T’s back. “Its not. Sonny never tries to hide who he is. They obviously wanted to end their senior year with something big. It could have happened anyway.”

Sonny got over his shock and agreed with his boyfriend. “Will’s right. It’s not your fault.”

Hope came into the hospital and Will saw her. He got up and walked over to her. “Aunt Hope, how’s Neil. They won’t tell us anything.”

Hope was looking for a nurse, but turned to talk to her nephew. “That’s why I’m here. He made it through surgery and they were going to bring him down. I wanted to get a statement if I could.”

Sonny came up to join his boyfriend. “Thanks so much for getting there. I don’t know what we would have done, if he hadn’t.”

Hope didn’t know either. “I’m just glad that everyone is going to be okay. I told you to stay out of it.”

T joined the group. “If we had, there is no way of knowing, what would have happened to Will. I had no clue how sick Peter was.”

Sonny nodded. “..and Chris and Eddie.”

Will wasn’t so sure about what Sonny had said. “I think they just went ahead with whatever Peter wanted.

Sonny knew how forgiving his boyfriend could be, but there was no forgiving in this instance. “They got off on it too. They shouldn’t be given anymore of a break than Peter.”

Hope agreed. “And they won’t. This isn’t their only incidence. There’s what happened to Sonny and the other stuff around campus.”

Sonny was worried. “I can piece together Peter, but I don’t know if I can help with the others. I didn’t really see them.”

Hope tried to reassure Sonny. “I won’t be surprised if they turn on each other. I’m sure that we will be able to connect them to what happened at the coffee house.”

Will had spent a lot of time with the three men. “I told them that I knew what they did. They didn’t deny it and the reason they took me, was because I was your boyfriend.”

Sonny shook his head. “So this is my fault.”

Hope figured that she would set things straight right away. “Its no one’s fault. These guys would have eventually taken someone. They were just biding their time. I’m just glad I found you.”

Sonny frowned at Hope. “How did you find us? Will’s signal went out when Peter smashed his phone.”

Will had forgotten about that. “That’s another thing the guy owes me.”

Hope smiled at Will, before answering Sonny’s question. “I’m glad you told me that he was headed towards the lake. We were already on our way and split up, when we got there. I’m just glad you left your car. We split up again and I was just lucky to see the lights.”

T more than agree with Hope. “Yeah, really lucky.”

Hope nodded at T. “You were, so I expect this to never happen again.”

Adrienne walked into the hospital. “Don’t worry it won’t.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
T had gone in to be checked out and Hope went to talk to Neil, leaving Adrienne alone with Will and Sonny. “What in the hell were you thinking?”

Will spoke up. “I was taken against my will.”

Sonny put his hand on his boyfriend’s arm. “I think she was talking to me. I called Hope, but I didn’t want to take the chance of them hurting Will before she got there.”

Adrienne was far from happy with her son’s answer. “So you put yourself in harms way? These men beat you unconscious and left you in your coffee house?”

Sonny wasn’t sure what his mother was getting at. “I’m well aware of what they did. That’s why I had to make sure that Will was okay and good thing I did. He tried to kill Neil.”

The more Adrienne heard, the more scared she became. “And he would have killed you, if Hope hadn’t gotten there.”

Sonny got up and walked away. “And you wonder why it took so long for me to forgive you. You just don’t get it.”

Adrienne got up and followed her son. “Don’t get what? Following Will, almost got you killed. You’re the one that aren’t getting it.”

Sonny turned back to face his mom. “You’re wrong. I almost got Will killed. They took him, because he’s my boyfriend.”

Adrienne stood and stared at Sonny. “I didn’t know.”

Sonny walked back over and sat next to Will. Will ran his hand over his back. “Exactly.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny didn’t want to be in the hall alone with his mother, so when the nurse said that she was ready for Will, Sonny insisted on going in too.

Will was sitting on the bed, his feet dangling on the side, as he looked down at them. “Its not your fault you know.”

Sonny sat in a chair by the bed andrubbed his hand. “Yes it is. You said it yourself. They took you because you’re my boyfriend.”

Will looked up at Sonny. “But they beat you up in the first place, because I’m T’s friend. This never would have happened to you if you weren’t with me. Your mother was right.”

Sonny got up and walked over to Will and sat on the bed next to him. “She’s not right.”

Will looked at Sonny. “You heard T. Peter saw you were with me when we were bowling.”

Sonny could tell, that it was a no win situation. ‘Okay, then lets call it even. Truthfully, the only person to blame is Peter. The man is sick.”

Will agreed, as he stared at the chart on the wall. “You’re right. I’m not sure if Halloween is my favorite holiday anymore.”

Sonny put his arm around Will’s shoulder and smiled at him. “You’re okay, so its still alright by me.”

Will smiled at Sonny. “I’ve got you to thank for that. How did you find me anyway?”

Sonny pulled out his phone, that he had gotten back from Hope. “Its actually because of you. Remember when you lost your phone?”

Will looked at Sonny’s phone, as he held it up for him. “You tracked me?”

Sonny smiled and nodded, as he put his phone away. “I’m going to have to keep an eye on you from now on.”

Will leaned his head on Sonny’s shoulder. “You can track me anytime you want.”

Hope came into the room. “Hey boys.”

Sonny started to get up, but Hope motioned for him to stay seated. Will put his hand on his leg after he sat back down. “Hi Hope. How’s Neil?”

Hope smiled. “He’s going to be fine. He’s a lucky guy.”

Sonny shook his head. “We’re the lucky ones. I told him and T to leave, but T said that he refused to.”

Hope nodded, she had got the whole story from Neil. “Turns out that Neil had a run in with Peter several years ago.”

Will looked at Sonny and frowned, then back to Hope. “You mean to tell me that Peter was the one that was harassing Neil? He had said that he was still on campus, but I never thought....”

Hope took out her notes. “It seems that he has been the one that’s been behind all the harassment.”

Sonny didn’t get it. “If they knew that he was suspected in it once, why wouldn’t the police keep an eye on him.”

Will thought that he knew. “Neil said they swept it under the rug. He was pretty bitter about it and thought they were dragging their feet in your case.”

Hope shook her head. “We were never involved in Neil’s case. That was handled through the school. Believe me, if we knew, we would have been on him.”

Sonny frowned at Hope. “Okay, then why wouldn’t the school do anything. Most of the incidents happened on campus.”

Hope put her notes away. “Believe me, they have going to have to answer some tough questions. My guess is with Peter being in a frat, it gave him some protection.”

Will nodded. “..and some allies.”

Hope shook her head. “No Will. Chris and Eddie looked up to him and they participated in the things that he did, but the rest of the fraternity seems to be shocked by it all. They are planning on doing a full investigation. That house could lose its charter, even if they weren’t participating. They knew that something wasn’t right and looked the other way.”

Will and Sonny glanced at each other, then Sonny turned back to Hope, a little relieved. “That’s something anyway.”

Hope got ready to leave. “I’ll be getting back in touch. Peter isn’t out of the woods, but he should recover. I’m planning on throwing the book at him. I’m sure there will people coming out of the woodwork, when this gets out.”

Will smiled at his aunt. “We’ll help any way that we can.”

Hope smiled at the boys and left.

Will turned to Sonny, after the door closed. “I’m glad that Neil is going to be alright” 

Sonny put his hand behind Will’s head and pulled him into a kiss. “I’m just glad that its all over and we can put it all behind us.”

Will welcomed the kiss. “Is it?”

Sonny frowned at his boyfriend. “What do you mean?”

Will licked his lips. “Tonight might have been the worse night of my life, but I remember it and will have to live with it. What about you? Do you remember what Peter did to you?”

Sonny stared at Will and was about to answer, when Cameron came in. “Hey guys. We’ve got to stop meeting like this Sonny.”


	28. Parental Influences

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will has to stay in the hospital against his wishes.

Will tried to protest, but Sonny persuaded him to listen to doctors orders. Will had gotten changed and was in bed. Sonny sat on the side and held his hand. Will still wasn’t happy. “I feel fine.”

Sonny smiled at his boyfriend. “Its just one night. Its better to be safe.”

Will pouted, as he place his hand on top of Sonny’s. “I can go to your place and you can look after me.”

Sonny would have liked that too. “I’ll admit, that I’d love that, but I’m not a doctor.”

Sami came rushing in. “No you’re not.”

Will let go of Sonny’s hands and closed his eyes, before dealing with his mother. “I was just telling Sonny that I’m fine.”

Sami walked over to the bed and ran her fingers through Will’s hair. “I talked to the doctor and, I know that you aren’t. I only heard a little bit about what happened. Some man tried to kill you?”

Will tried to minimize what had happened. “Hope got there in time.”

Sami looked at Sonny, hoping that he would tell her the truth. “...but he did this to him right?”

Sonny nodded. He didn’t want to lie to Will’s mom. Will wanted to forget it, but he was unconscious, so it was something. “He hit Will in the head and he was out for a while.”

Will crossed his arms over his chest in protest. “Thanks alot.”

Sonny put his hand on Will’s leg. “Your mother already talked to the doctor. Its not like we can hide it from her.”

Sami nodded. “And I wouldn’t stop until I found out anyway, so you might as well tell me.”

Will knew that his mother was right. “Okay, yes I was unconscious, but its only a mild concussion. They are only keeping me here as a precaution.”

Sami knew that her son was telling the truth. “Thank goodness. Why was this guy after you?

Will had been over the story enough and it would only serve to upset his mother more, so he decided to just avoid the subject. “I’ve gone over it with Hope and I’m starting to get tired. Can we talk about it tomorrow?”

Sami smiled at her son and placed her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. You’re right. Can I get you anything?”

Will glanced at Sonny before turning to his mom. “Maybe you can convince them to let me go home.”

Sami didn't think that was a good idea. She wanted to make sure that her son was okay and being under the doctor’s eye, was probably the best way for that to happen. “I’d love for you to come home with me, but the kids won't let you rest. You should stay here.”

Will didn’t give up. “I can go home with Sonny. He can watch over me. It’s just the night.”

Sami smiled at Sonny, as he looked lovingly at Will. She could see the scratches on his face. “I know that’s what you want, but Sonny looks like he could use some tlc of his own. Are you okay?”

Sonny smiled and nodded. “I’m fine, but I told Will that he should listen to the doctors.”

Adrienne had just come into the room. “And you should think about yourself. You’re just getting over your stint in the hospital.”

Sonny looked over Sami’s shoulder at his mother, as she made her way over to the bed. “I’m fine.”

Adrienne put her hand on the side of her son’s face and ran her thumb over a scratch on his cheek. “I know. Dr Davis told me that. I just wish that you would take it easy.”

Sonny looked over at Will. “Will is the one with the concussion. I just have a few statches.”

Adrienne was fully aware of her son’s injuries. “Why don’t you stay with us tonight. You might be fine physically, but you just went through another ordeal.”

Sonny shook his head. “I’m fine. I’m just going to be wondering about Will, but it’s just the night”

Sami watched as Will smiled at Sonny and decided to step in. “I was going to see if I could stay with Will, but he might feel better if you were here.”

Sonny smiled at Sami. “You could do that?”

Sami patted her son’s shoulder and headed for the door. “Whether I can or not, they won’t want to deal with me.”

Will watched his mother, as she left, then turned back to Sonny. “I hope she doesn’t cause too much trouble.”

Sonny took Will’s hand. “If it means that I can stay here with you, I’m all for it.”

Adrienne watched the two boys. “I can see that this has brought you closer.”

Sonny turned towards his mother. “We were never apart.”

Adrienne licked her lips. “I heard about what happened and I got scared.”

Sonny glanced over at Will, as he let go of his hand and reached to take his mother’s. “I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”

Sami came back into the room and stood in the door, as Sonny and his mother talked. Tears filled Adrienne’s eyes. “I almost lost you 3 times. Twice by some maniac and then the third because of my own stupidity. I don’t want to lose you again.”

Sonny smiled at his mother. “You’re not going to, but does this mean that you are finally okay with me and Will?”

Sami stepped closer and Adrienne looked over her shoulder at her, then turned back to her son. “It will take a lot for me to get over the things that Sami has done, but I do get that Will isn’t Sami and that he makes you happy.”

Sonny stood up and hugged his mother. “Happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”

Adrienne stepped back from her son. “And that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

Sami smiled and stepped closer to the bed and smiled at Adrienne. “I talked to the doctor and he said that you could stay.”

Sonny let his mother’s hand go and sat back on the bed next to Will. “That’s great. Thanks Sami.”

Sami smiled at Sonny. “I can understand your mother being worried. I’ve done some crazy things, but Adrienne, in spite of what Will did to EJ. He’s the one thing that I did right.”

Adrienne smiled at Sami and nodded. “There are plenty of people out there like that man from tonight and I need to remember that this is what it’s all about. You guys are in love and that’s all I’m going to focus on.”

Sami and Adrienne said their goodbyes. Sami and Sonny were going to check on getting a cot for the room and Adrienne stayed back, She leaned down near Will. “I’m okay with you guys, but if you hurt my son, you will have to answer to me.”

Will watched Adrienne, as she left the room. “I can see why you don’t like my mother. You two are just alike.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The nurse had said it would be a while for the cot. Sonny came back into Will’s room. Will was staring at the ceiling, his arms tucked behind his head. “You okay?”

Will had worried about what Sonny’s mom had said at first, but realized that she had put it all on him and he wasn’t worried about hurting Sonny. He turned and looked at his boyfriend. “Never been better. Come here.”

Sonny walked over to the bed and watched as Will moved over to make room for him. “I’m not sure if that’s such a good idea. The nurse might come in.”

Will frowned. “What can they do? Throw me out? I didn’t want to stay anyway.”

Sonny thought about what Will said, then climbed under the covers as Will held them up. “I guess you’re right. Its not like you’re contagious.”

Will wrapped his arm around Sonny and pulled him in close. “That’s too bad, because I think everyone should be able to feel the way I feel right now.”

Sonny frowned at his boyfriend. “I don’t know, that was pretty foul.”

Will ignored Sonny and laid down, with his arm behind his head. “Maybe it wasn’t poetic, but its true. You’re mom actually came around.”

Sonny cuddled up next to Will and rested his head on his chest. “Yeah she did.”

Will got a bad thought and lifted his head. “You don’t think she’ll change her mind do you?”

Sonny knew how his mother could be, but felt she was being sincere. “I think a lot of her feelings were out of fear. Peter is gone and we’re fine. So lets not worry about her. Let’s just think about us.”

Will lowered his arm and wrapped it around Sonny. “I can do that. I’m glad my mom arranged for you to stay.”

Sonny lifted up and was about to kiss Will, when the night nurse came in. “What’s going on in here?”

Sonny was startled and quickly jumped out of the bed. He turned to the nurse and smiled . nervously. “Just a little tlc.”

The nurse walked around to the other side of the bed to take Will’s blood pressure. “This isn’t a hotel. Its a hospital and the doctors and nurses will be the only one providing any t l c. Is that clear?”

Sonny became serious as he glanced at Will. “Yes mame.”

The nurse put the cup away, after finishing up. “You don’t have to be so formal. I’m not an ogre. I just want to make sure the Will is going to be able to go home tomorrow as planned. That is what you want isn’t it?”

Sonny sucked his lip. “Of course. I didn’t think…”

The nurse didn’t bother letting Sonny finish, as she walked around the bed and headed for the door. “Of course you didn’t. Now that you understand the rules, we shouldn’t have anymore problems. Your cot should be here shortly.”

Will frowned at the nurse as she left the room. “I…”

Sonny held his finger to his lips to stop his boyfriend, just as the nurse peeked back in. “I should let you know, that I’ll be in periodically to check Will’s vitals, so don’t get any ideas.”

The nurse disappeared again and Will looked at the door and then up at Sonny. “How did you know?”

Sonny walked over and sat in the chair. “I own a coffee house. I can read people pretty well.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Even after the orderly had brought in the cot for Sonny, Will still tried to convince him to cuddle for a while before they went to sleep. Sonny would have loved to give into his boyfriend’s wishes, but nurse Snooty, as they began to call her, made true on her promise and kept checking in every hour, until the lights were out.

They still talked until they fell asleep and Sonny woke up the next morning in his little cot alone. He lifted up and looked over to see if Will was awake, but he wasn’t in his bed. He looked around the room. “Will?”

Will came out of the bathroom. “Morning.”

Sonny sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Morning. When did you get up?”

Will walked over and kissed Sonny gently, before walking over and sitting on the edge of the bed. “When the nurse came in for what felt like the millionth time to take my temperature and blood pressure. How do people get better in a hospital?”

Sonny got up and walked over and stood in front of Will. He placed his hand on his shoulders. “When I get you home, I’ll make sure you get all the rest you need.”

Will put his arms around Sonny’s waist and pulled him in closer to him. “I like the way that think, but when I get out of here, sleeping is the last thing that I’m going to want to do.”

Sonny smiled and leaned into Will and kissed him, just as someone cleared their throat.. Sonny looked over Will’s shoulder as Will turned around. “Hey Dad. How are you?”

Lucas walked over to the bed. “I’m fine and obviously you are too.”

Sonny thought that was his cue to make himself scarce. “I was just about to go to the bathroom.”

Lucas watched Sonny as he left. “Don’t leave on my account.”

Sonny kept walking. “I wasn’t.”

Will got up and walked around the bed. “He just got up.”

Lucas wasn’t really concerned about Sonny. “Your mother told me that he stayed with you last night. She made it seem like you were in bad shape, but you look pretty good to me.”

Will sat on the side of the bed closer to his father. “Have you ever known mom to not exaggerate?”

Lucas had to admit that his son was right. “No, but you having a concussion, because some nutjob attacked you, wasn’t one. I read about it in the paper. You’re front page news.”

Will ran his hands over his face. “That’s all I need.”

Lucas understood. “You’re a Horton and that’s news in this town. So everything that happened last night, along with you’re being gay and dating the previous victim is all in black and white.”

Sonny made his way out of the bathroom. “You can’t be serious.

Lucas pulled the paper out of his briefcase. “I am and you didn’t have to leave the room. I’m okay with the two of you.”

Sonny took the paper and looked at the article. “That’s one thing to be grateful for. They even have our pictures.”

Will got up and went to look at the paper. “Not good ones either. Oh well, its not like it wasn’t to be expected. There is going to be a trial.”

Lucas took the paper back, when Sonny handed it to him. “Maybe not. I spoke to Hope and the two are willing to turn on the lead guy. He’s going to have to deal, if he wants to see daylight before he’s old and grey.”

Will sat back on the bed. “I’m not sure that someone like that should ever get out. He attacked us because of who we are. Its not like we did anything to him. Plus he tried to kill Neil. The man’s a monster and should be locked up forever.”

Lucas couldn’t agree more. “Remember that, if you do have to testify. People like that, don’t always cop a plea. They want their day in court.”

Sonny walked over to sit next to Will. He put his hand on his leg and smiled at Will. “We’ll be ready for him.”

Lucas smiled at the two men. “I’m sure you will be and the Hortons, Bradys and Kiriakis will be behind you.”

Just then Justin walked in. “We certainly will.”

Sonny walked up and hugged his dad. “Hey dad. What are you doing here?”

Justin shook Will’s hand, as he frowned at his son. “You’re in a hospital for the second time in a little over a month.”

Sonny sat back down. “I know, but I just stayed for Will.”

Justin smiled, as he understood. “Its not so much that I was worried about you physically. This has got to be a lot given that you were unaware of a lot of this as of yesterday.”

Sonny nodded. He honestly hadn’t thought about any of that. “All I was thinking about was Will. The guy’s going to be locked away for a long time and I’m just thinking about that.”

Lucas knew all about demons. He had plenty that lead him to drinking. “That’s fine, but don’t keep it locked up inside of you.”

Justin couldn’t agree more. “You two are connected in a way that you probably never would have hoped for, but use that as a way to get through this.”

Will had always felt so alone when he was growing up. He never thought of it that way. He smiled at Sonny. “I’ll tell you my nightmares, if you’ll tell me yours.”

Sonny leaned over and kissed Will gently. “Deal.”

Lucas felt that he had stayed long enough. “I’m going to go talk to the nurse and see when they plan on releasing you.”

Will smiled at his dad, as he watched him leave. “Okay.”

Justin just wanted to check on his son and was ready to go as well. “I’ll walk you out.”

Sonny waved at his dad, as he left, then turned to Will. “I think we scared them off.”

Will reached up and cupped Sonny’s face, as he pulled it closer to him. “Good. I never gave you a proper good morning kiss.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Lucas came back and said that they wouldn’t be releasing Will until noon. He said that his mother would be back and help him check out. The morning nurse wasn’t much better than the night one and didn’t allow Will and Sonny much alone time, so Sonny asked if it would be okay, if he took Will out of his room.

The nurse insisted that he use a wheelchair, given that Will was in the hospital because of a head injury, but as long as they didn’t go far, that it would be alright.

Sonny held open the door, as Will maneuvered the chair in. “Hey Neil.”

Neil winced as he pushed up off the bed. “Hey. I was wondering where you guys were. Is the wheelchair for something serious?”

Sonny helped Will position himself near the bed. “No. The nurse insisted on me using it around the hospital. I should be out of here soon, but I wanted to check on you. How are you feeling?”

Neil sat up a little more. “Any pain that I have, is worth it knowing that creep isn’t going to hurt anyone else.”

Sonny didn’t feel the same way as his friend. “He could have killed you. I’m just glad that Hope got there. You should have left like I told you to.”

Neil shook his head. “There was no way I was leaving and finding out who that creep was. I’m glad that I didn’t.”

Will tried to be the voice of reason. “He had a knife.”

Neil crossed his arms over his chest. “I hadn’t planned on that. I wanted to make him pay for what he did to me and everyone else.”

Sonny understood. He felt the same way. “He will.”

Neil had to be happy with that. “I’m just glad you guys were able to handle them. Where’s T?”

Will frowned. He hadn’t seen his friend, since they were in the waiting room. “I’m not sure. He was blaming himself, because he wanted to join the fraternity.”

Neil shook his head. “That’s crazy. Peter was long gone a while a go. He just found some guys to join in his sick game. The other guys at that frat are fine. I know a couple of them. Hooked up with a few, that were still in the closet. Vowed to not do that again. He shouldn’t feel bad. Peter probably got sneaky after our run in.”

Sonny agreed with Neil. “I told him the same thing, but he still feels bad.”

Will was worried about his friend. “We better find him then. I wouldn’t want him to do anything stupid. T can be pretty headstrong.”

Sonny patted his boyfriend on the shoulder. “Lets worry about getting you out of here first. T’s a big boy and can take care of himself.”

Will had grown up with T and wasn’t so sure. “You don’t know him like I do.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
T stood outside the door of intensive care and watched as the nurse came out. He still felt bad about what had happened by the lake. “I hope you die you son of a bitch. “

Justin had finished up Sonny’s paperwork and was about to leave when he saw T. “Whatever you are thinking stop.”

T turned and faced the older man. “I’m not thinking anything.”

Justin wasn’t buying what T was saying. “I’ve worked with a lot of people that have been in traumatic situations and the first thing they want to do is get back at the person that caused them. The system is working. Peter will not be hurting anyone. He might even get a taste of his own medicine. Let it go.”

T let out a sigh. “Its my fault. He hurt my friends.”’’

T might of played a part, but it wasn’t his fault . “Sonny has never tried to hide who he is. That man was out to hurt any gay person that he came upon. For some reason, he felt the need to make an example of my son. That angers me too, but he will pay, while Sonny and Will will live their lives and be happy. That is enough payback.”

T thought about what Justin said and nodded. “I guess you’re right.”

Justin patted T’s shoulder. “I am. Will is getting out in a few hours. Why don’t you stop by and see him.”

T nodded and headed off to see his friend. Justin looked over at Peter’s room. “I’m not going to let you hurt anyone else. You will pay. I’ll see to that.”


	29. There For Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny brings Will to his apartment and they try and make it past what has happened.

Will was happy that T had stopped by his room. He stood outside of Sonny’s apartment waiting for him to open the door. “Your father is an amazing guy.”

Sonny wasn’t sure where that statement came from, as he frowned back at Will after opening the door and letting him in. “He kind of has to be, to make up for my mom. But why do you say that?”

Will walked in and took off his coat. “He doesn’t even know T, but whatever he said to him, must have gotten to him. He was in a much better mood.”

Sonny understood what his boyfriend was saying now. “Yeah, he’s got this way about him. I’m just glad he ran into him. I wouldn’t want T to get into any trouble. Can I get you anything?”

Will decided that he had spent enough time thinking about his friend. He sat on the end of the bed and held out his hand. “I’ve spent the night in the hospital and I don’t want to be fussed over.”

Sonny smiled and took Will’s hand, as he sat next to him on the bed and played coy. “Really? What about the TLC that I promised you?”

Will put his hand on the back of Sonny’s head to bring him to him. “I think that you could use a little too.”

Sonny smiled into the kiss, as he lowered Will to the bed. “I’m all for that.”

Will leaned back on the bed and began to run his hand through Sonny’s hair. He loved Sonny’s hair. The way it slid through his fingers, made him want to get lost in it and in Sonny. He opened his mouth and Sonny did the same, as their tongues began the dance that they had become accustomed to.

Sonny pulled back to get his breath and looked down at Will. He had a look of love, but concern in his eyes “Are you okay?”

Will began to undo Sonny’s shirt. “No.”

Sonny frowned and grabbed Will’s hands to stop him. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”

Will pulled his hands away from Sonny’s and went back to his task as he smiled. “You stopped. All I need is you to be okay again.”

Sonny felt the same way. He needed to be close to Will. It was what he wanted after he was attacked, but couldn’t because of his mother, but he didn’t want to think of that now. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

Will shook his head. “You never would.”

Sonny looked into Will’s eyes and could see the love and trust that he felt for him. He pulled off the shirt that Will had managed to finish unbuttoning and then grabbed Will by the head and pulled him on top of him, as he rolled onto the bed. 

Will smiled, as he enjoyed the rough play. Knowing that Sonny didn’t think of him as fragile. He lowered himself down on Sonny and began to kiss him again. Taking his lips repeatedly.

Sonny pulled at Will’s shirt and Will broke the kiss and lifted up to allow him to pull it over his head. He moved to the side, as he lowered back down to allow himself to have access to Sonny’s pants. They were his favorite. They were grey, but the color didn’t matter. What mattered, was the way they hugged his hips and were easily removed.

Sonny kicked off his shoes, as he held Will’s face so that they could continue to kiss, while he undid his pants. Will got them undone, then pulled away. He and Sonny looked briefly into each others eyes, before Will kissed over his chest, then began moving down his body.

Sonny closed his eyes and concentrated on every sensation. Will was so gentle. Sonny’s mouth fell open and he gasped, when Will took him into his mouth.

Will was unsure their first time, but in time, with Sonny’s love and trust, he had become comfortable with how to please him. He used one hand to hold his cock, as he moved it in and out of his mouth. The other he ran gently up Sonny’s stomach, to his chest and found his nipple, which he gently squeezed. 

Sonny moaned, as he lifted his hand and rested it on top of Will’s. He could never get enough of this, but he couldn’t take much more. He held Will’s hand, to stop him and lifted up. “Stop. Please stop.”

Will didn’t want to stop and continued, until Sonny began to pull at his hair. He lifted up. “What’s wrong? I know you liked it.”

Sonny smiled and pulled at his boyfriend. “Too much. That’s not how I want to come.”

Will frowned, but understood, as he stood up and undid his pants before letting them fall to the floor. “Oh really.”

Sonny grinned even bigger at his now naked boyfriend and held out his hand, to help him back on the bed. “Yeah really. Although I could let you do that all night.”

Will moved above Sonny, as he leaned back on the bed. “I don’t think I would have done it all night, but I’m up for other things.”

Sonny felt Will’s erection brush against his, as he lowered down on top of him. “I can tell that. Why don’t you get a condom out of the drawer and we’ll see what we can come up with.”

Will reached over for the drawer. “Why don’t I get the whole box.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will rested with his head on Sonny’s chest. “I wasn’t scared.”

Sonny had his hand on Will’s shoulder. “I was.”

Will lifted up and placed his chin on Sonny’s chest, as he looked up at him. “I was at first, until you got there. I didn’t think that anyone knew where I was.”

Sonny smiled down at Will. “When we were at the frat house, I knew that he was there. When I couldn’t find you, I knew right away, that he had taken you. There is no way that I would let him hurt you.”

Will laid back down. “My knight in shining armor. Where were you when I was growing up?”

Sonny pulled Will in closer. “I wish that I knew you then. Maybe I could have stopped you from shooting EJ.”

Will shook his head. “My grandma Caroline, said that everything happens for a reason. We might not be here like this, if we knew each other than.”

Sonny frowned down at the top of Will’s head. “You’re saying that we wouldn’t be together?”

Will lifted up and moved onto his pillow and faced Sonny. “No, I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that we wouldn’t be like we are today. You wouldn’t have run off to Europe, or at least I hope that you wouldn’t have and I wouldn’t have gone to jail.”

Sonny nodded. He knew exactly what Will was saying. “I know. I would have fallen in love with you sooner and maybe wouldn’t have had the doubts about myself, that made me go to Europe.”

Will reached over and touched Sonny’s face, as he ran his thumb over his cheek. “...and you would be different and so would I. Us having the misunderstandings at first and taking so long to get together have made us as strong as we are now. I might not have wanted or needed you like I did when I first got out.”

Sonny understood what Will was saying. “What we’ve been through, has brought us here and we might be together, but it wouldn’t be like this.”

Will nodded. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Sonny lifted his arm to wrap around Will again. “I like where we are now.”

Will kissed Sonny gently before laying back down. “So do I. I think we found each other, when we needed each other.”

Sonny kissed the top of Will’s head. “...and I’m never going to let you go.”

Will cuddled just a little closer. “Me either.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will was having a nightmare. Peter had Sonny in the coffeehouse and he was locked outside and couldn’t get in. He woke up in a fright and ran his hands over his face. He was just about to get up and get a glass of water, but he heard Sonny mumbling in his sleep.

He rocked back and forth, like he was trying to get away from someone. Will reached over and touched his shoulder, to try and calm him, when Sonny sat up in bed. “What?”

Will had forgotten about his own dream and quickly became worried about his boyfriend. “Peter?”

Sonny nodded, as he ran his hand across his face. “Yeah. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

Will shook his head. “You didn’t. I just woke from a nightmare of my own.”

Sonny turned to Will and smiled. “We promised to share. Did he have you tied up?”

Will shook his head. “No, he had you at the coffeehouse and I couldn’t get to you.”

Sonny put his hand on Will’s leg. “That wasn’t your fault. You were here studying.”

Will didn’t feel the same way. “I should have sensed that something was wrong, like you did.”

Sonny frowned at Will. “Will, I heard the guys voice. If what happened to me hadn’t happened, I might not have thought there was anything wrong. You shouldn’t blame yourself.”

Will looked over Sonny’s face and ran his finger over one of the scares. “Look at you. As if what they did to you wasn’t enough and now you’re having nightmares.”

Sonny placed his hand over Will’s face and looked him in the eyes. “My nightmare wasn’t about that night.”

Will pulled his hand from Sonny’s and frowned at him. “It wasn’t? Then what was it about? You seemed like you were trying to get away from someone.”

Sonny nodded. “I was. I was trying to get to you, when Peter had you, but Eddie was holding me back.”

Will smiled. “You were trying to save me.”

Sonny didn’t really want to admit it, but what happened by the lake, obviously affected him. “Yeah, but I couldn’t. You weren’t able to help me, because you weren’t there. I was there, but I was still helpless. You didn’t fail me. I failed you.”

Will got serious and took Sonny’s hand. “You didn’t fail me. You were there and I could feel you, no matter what Peter was doing. That gave me strength.”

Sonny smiled and put his hand to Will’s face. “...and you have given it to me over the last few weeks.”

Will felt better, but there was something that Sonny needed to know. “I wasn’t sure what to do for you. I need to tell you something.”

Sonny dropped his hand and looked at Will worried, about what he had to say. “What?”

Will took Sonny’s other hand, to let him know that he was there for him. “Its about your session with Marlena.”

Sonny didn’t remember much about the session. He had hoped that it would help him remember, but it hadn’t. “What about it? I was upset that I didn’t remember more, but its come back to me now and that’s what matters.”

Will nodded. “That is what matters, but you did remember more.”

Sonny frowned at his boyfriend. “What do you mean? Marlena said that I didn’t say much more than before.”

Will bit his lip. “She made you go back to that night and you were screaming for Peter to stop and I told her to not make you remember anymore.”

Sonny pulled his hands from Will and sat up. “You told her to make me forget?”

Will reached for Sonny’s hands and shook his head. “No. I didn’t want her to make you recant the whole night. I understood why you didn’t want to remember. You still weren’t able to tell us much about those guys, so she didn’t think that you should remember the rest. She thought that it would have haunted you and felt that you would remember when you were ready.”

Sonny wasn’t happy about what Marlena had done, but now that it had all flooded back, he understood. She’s right. Hearing his voice, made me want to jump out the window. If I remembered and didn’t know who it was, I wouldn’t have been able to work. I would have thought that everyone that came in was him.”

Will began to feel better. “So you’re okay?”

Sonny smiled and leaned over to kiss Will. “I’m fine.”

Will turned around to lay back down and pulled Sonny with him. “I’m glad I told you. I don’t want secrets between us.”

Sonny settled onto Will’s chest. “Thanks for trying to protect me. I’m not use to that.”

Will kissed the top of Sonny’s head. “You would have done the same for me.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny and Will slept through the rest of the night. Sonny wanted Will to rest another day, but Will didn’t want to miss anymore school. He had mid-terms and didn’t want to be behind.

He had finished his class and was sitting on a bench going over his notes, when Abby came up. She smiled at him. “Hey Will.”

Will looked up at his cousin. “Abby. Hi.”

Abby sat on the bench next to him. “I was just thinking about you. I heard what happened. Are you alright?”

Will closed his book and gave his cousin a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Just a bump on the head.”

Abby glared at Will, knowing that there was more to it than he was letting on. “This is me you’re talking to. It sounded like a horrible ordeal and how’s Sonny?”

Will couldn’t contain his joy, when he heard Sonny’s name. “He’s fine. I’m fine. 

Abby continued to eye Will. She had seen that look before. She began to smile, when she realized what was behind it. “I can see that now. So this drama has brought you two even closer.”

Will began to put his book away. “We were already in a good place. We just didn’t let this affect us.”

Abby could tell that Will was avoiding her gaze. She grabbed his arm to get his attention. “Its more than that. Someone that just went through what you did, shouldn’t be this happy, not that I mind.”

Will put down his book bag and looked at Abby. “We shared a traumatic experience and we can talk to each other about it, we both went through it, but separately. We both felt bad for not being able to help the other, but the important thing is that we are there now and we know exactly what the other is going through.”

Abby’s shoulders sunk, as she envied her cousin. “...and that makes an even bigger bond. You two are beyond adorable, but you deserve it.”

Will started to get up from the bench. “All I know is that Sonny is there for me, like no one else has ever been and I know he won't ever hurt me. I’ve got another class. See ya later.”

Abby waved and then watched Will as he left. “Bye.“  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny went into the coffeehouse and was feeling more like normal, with what happened to him now in the past and him and Will doing so well. Sarah fussed over him at first, but the day was going well, until his mother decided to drop by. He finished cleaning the table and braced himself for what he knew was coming, before greeting her. “Hey mom.”

Adrienne smiled at her son, but her concern was evident. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”

Sonny picked up the tray and headed for the counter. “This is my business. Where would you expect me to be?”

Adrienne followed her son over to the counter. “I thought that you might want to take the day off. Its only been a couple of days…”

Sonny put the cups under the counter. “I’m fine mom. I told you that. Just a few scratches. I only stayed in the hospital because of Will.”

Adrienne didn’t really care about Will, but she knew she had promised to accept their relationship and she was determined to do that. “I know. How is he?”

Sonny could tell that his mother was just making conversation. “You don’t have to pretend.”

Adrienne knew she was being transparent, but she didn’t want her son to think that she didn’t care. “Honey, I’ll admit that you are the most important thing in the world to me…”

Sonny started to walk away and get back to work. “I know that, but you said…”

Adrienne caught Sonny’s arm, not letting him get far. “I know what I said, but will you let me finish?”

Sonny licked his lips and thought for a second. “Fine. Finish.”

Adrienne crossed her arms over her chest. “I said I would accept Will and I will. You’re the most important thing to me and I want you to be happy. So if Will makes you happy, then that’s what I want. Will being hurt, hurts you, so I might not have seemed sincere, but I know that what happens to Will affects you. So I do care about him.”

Sonny wasn’t pleased with her explanation. It didn’t seem like she cared about Will at all. His feelings were all that was driving her concern. “He’s fine, but I wish that you really cared about him. He’s a good man.”

Adrienne wanted to show her son that she was trying. “I was looking for you, because the holidays are coming up and I wanted to make sure that you would be over for Thanksgiving. Bring Will and I’ll get to know him even better.”

Sonny walked past his mom, after finishing with another table. “That didn’t go very well last time. You put him under a microscope. I couldn’t pass that kind of scrutiny.”

Adrienne knew that she wasn’t fair to Will the last time. “I wasn’t trying. I didn’t get how close you two had become. I know what’s at stake here. You’re my flesh and blood and I don’t want to lose you.”

Sonny didn’t want to make a promise without talking to Will first. “I don’t know if Will has plans. I should talk to him first.”

Adrienne was surprised. “Wow. You two really are a couple.”

Sonny smiled. “We are and it's everything I’ve ever wanted.”

Adrienne reached over and patted Sonny’s hand. “Then you talk to him and let me know. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Sonny waved at his mom and then turned to go over the receipts, before taking them into the back. He had heard the door close and then quickly open again. He smiled at himself, without turning around. “What did you forget?”

A deep voice came from the other side of the counter. “How cute your toosh was.”

Sonny frowned and then turned around. “Stephen?”


	30. Good Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephen tells Sonny why he's in town and Will and Sonny make plans for their first Thanksgiving, as a couple.

Stephen knew Sonny when he was in Europe. They had spent a wonderful few months together, but they parted when they realized that they didn’t want the same things. “Yeah its me.”

Part of Sonny wished that he was wrong. He had fallen for Stephen really hard and was disappointed when he realized that he didn’t feel the same way. Stephen was part of the reason that he returned to Salem, so there was that other part that was glad that he was right. He frowned at the man in front of him. “What are you doing here?”

Stephen was older than Sonny and he had spent a long time fighting who he was. With that, came a calm demeanor. He sat at the counter. “I kind of wanted coffee, but I also wanted to see you.”

Sonny was now confused. “See me? You didn’t fly over here from Europe for that and you certainly didn’t do it for a cup of coffee.”

Stephen leaned on the counter. “No I didn’t. I’m in Salem for business.”

This was getting crazier by the minute. “...and you didn’t think to call me?”

Stephen looked around Sonny at the pots of coffee. “Would you have taken my call? I was serious about the coffee. I forgot how terrible jet lag can be.”

Sonny turned to make the coffee. “Sorry. Do you want anything special? The sugar is on the counter.”

Stephen got up and walked over to the place that Sonny had indicated. “No. The blacker the better.”

Sonny placed the cup in front of Stephen after he sat back down. “So you’re just here on business than.”

Stephen opened his sugar and added it to his coffee. “Mostly, but being able to see you is a perk. I’ve missed you.”

Sonny leaned back on the coffee station and crossed his hands over his chest. “Yeah right. Its been 6 months.”

Stephen knew exactly how long it had been. “I know. You were pretty hurt and I hoped that you would have softened to me by now.”

Under different circumstances, Stephen would be right. “Things change in 6 months.”

Stephen looked around the coffeehouse. “I can see that. This is quite the place. You own it I assume.”

Sonny smiled. He was very proud of his venture. “Yes I do, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”

Stephen took a sip of his coffee. “You’re with someone. I pretty much figured that.”

Sonny stepped closer to Stephen. “It’s more than that. I’m in love with someone.”

Stephen swallowed his coffee and nodded, as he put down his cup. “That doesn’t surprise me. You are quite the catch. I’m sure he gives you what I couldn’t”

Sonny wasn’t sure where Stephen was coming from. “You could have. You just didn’t want to. We had a great few months. Even if I wasn’t with someone, I don’t think I could trust you again.”

Stephen calmly picked up his coffee again. “I guess that’s what I expected, but a guy can hope.”

Sonny was curious. “Why?: You were the one that didn’t want to be tied down. I saw you at the club with that guy and you were all over each other.”

Stephen put his cup back down. “I know what you saw, but it wasn’t…”

Sonny held up his hand to stop Stephen. “Don’t you dare say that it wasn’t what I thought. You two were all over each other and you didn’t deny it.”

Stephen didn’t deny what Sonny had said. “No I didn’t. You saw exactly what was happening, but it wasn’t what I led you to believe.”

Sonny was starting to wonder why he bothered to talk to Stephen about their past. He obviously was going to try and twist it. He crossed his arms back over his chest and frowned at him. “Led me to believe? I have no clue what you’re talking about.”

Stephen knew that this would be hard. “You thought that I didn’t want us.”

Sonny had about enough. “You didn’t. That’s why you left with him and that’s why you didn’t try and stop me when I left. Telling me that it was for the best. It doesn't matter now. I’m over it and I’m over you. Maybe you should go.”

Stephen finished his coffee and then got up to leave. He placed the cup on the counter. He spoke quietly. “It wasn’t that I didn’t want you. I was just scared of how you made me feel. I’m sorry Sonny.”

Sonny frowned at Stephen as he walked out the door. “What did he mean by that?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will finished his last class and was on his way to the coffeehouse. He had got a text message from Sonny and wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, as he walked through the square and bumped into a man, causing him to drop the paper he was carrying. Will bent down to pick it up. “Sorry. I should have been looking where I was going.”

The man took the paper. “No problem, I was kind of lost in thought.”

Will smiled. The man was wearing a suit, so he figured that it was business. “My dad gets carried away when he’s working on something at the office.”

The man tilted his head at Will. “I do too actually, but I wasn’t really thinking about work.”

Will’s smile faded. “Oh, I’m sorry. Hope its not something bad.”

The man shook his head. “Its entirely my fault. Word to the wise, don’t do something that never can be taken back. You might find yourself regretting it.”

Will more than knew what the man was talking about. “Believe me I’ve been there.”

The man was taken aback, by someone so young. “I couldn’t imagine that you’ve done anything too bad, but learning it at an earlier age is better.”

Will laughed, at the man. “I know I referred to my dad, but you don’t look that old.”

The man joined Will and began to laugh too. “I’m glad to hear that. I’m Stephen by the way.”

Will shook Stephen’s hand. “Will. Nice to meet you. Glad I could cheer you up a bit.”

Stephen nodded. The laugh did make him feel a little better. “There’s not much I can do about it anyway. As I said. I messed up.”

Will thought the guy was nice, so he figured he would try and help. “I don’t mean to pry, but I assume that since it wasn’t business, that its about your love life?”

Stephen felt that it was obvious, but figured that he’d humor the kid. “Yes. Since you already learned my lesson of the day, in your vast knowledge of love, do you have words of wisdom.”

Will took Stephen by the arm and led him over to the bench. He then motioned for him to sit down. “I may be young, but I’ve screwed up a lot.”

Stephen wanted to smile. Will was young, but he was truly charming. He knew that whatever he said, wouldn’t help, but he was enjoying the conversation and it was a good distraction from Sonny. So he sat and decided to listen to his advice. “Okay. You have my undivided attention.”

Will probably should have felt strange talking to someone he didn’t know like this, but there was something about Stephen, that was kind and since things were going so well for him, he felt he should spread some of his good fortune. “I haven’t have the best of luck, but as I said, I’ve made my share of mistakes and with that, I didn’t have much to bring to the table. I don’t know if the person that you’re with is as understanding as my boyfriend, but with all our ups and downs, I learned, that even when you think it might be over, if its meant to be, you can find a way back to each other. Do you think that you and this person had a connection?”

Stephen was taken aback, by that fact that Will was gay. “You’re gay.”

Will had become comfortable in his sexuality and talked freely about being with another man. He realized that maybe he talked out of turn, since this man didn’t know him. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think that should make a difference. Love is love. Right?”

Stephen looked at the young face and nodded. “Yeah.”

Will smiled. “So did you have a connection with the person that you were with and not just physical. Soulmate kind.” 

Stephen regretted letting Sonny go the minute that he left. “Yeah I did.”

Will spoke matter of factly. “Then don’t give up hope. If you’re meant to be you will be. Just give it time and stay in touch. Eventually, they’ll come around.”

Stephen couldn’t believe that he was listening to a guy that didn’t look more than 20 about his love life, but he had to admit that he was right. “I won’t. Thanks.”

Will got up. “No problem. I got to go. I was texting my boyfriend and I’m suppose to meet him. Good luck.”

Stephen watched as Will walked off. “Thanks again.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The coffeehouse was starting to clear out. There were a few couples lingering in a corner, but only a few stopped in for an evening cup of Joe. 

Sonny was cleaning up the station on the side, when Will saw him through the window and decided to sneak up on him. He slowly closed the door and was about to slip his arms around his waist, when Sonny decided to spoil his fun. “You know I know that’s you.’

Will shrugged and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend anyway and kissed him on the cheek. “Who else would it be?”

Sonny decided to not answer that question. “You’re in a good mood.”

Will rested his head on Sonny’s shoulder. “I had a good day. I got back that quiz I took last week and aced it, plus my Economics professor postponed our exam.”

Sonny smiled over his shoulder. “Oh is that all?”

Will pulled Sonny in tighter. “No. I have the hottest boyfriend in all of Salem.”

Sonny worked his way out of his boyfriend’s grasp. “Only Salem?”

Will followed Sonny over to the counter. “No, but I haven’t seen many men outside of Salem and I wouldn’t want it to go to your head.”

Sonny threw the trash away under the counter. “Thanks for that I guess.”

Will leaned on the counter and flirted with his boyfriend. “Come on. You know that you’re all I want.”

Sonny stood up and leaned over the counter to give his adorable boyfriend a kiss. “The same goes for me.”

Will was happy that his boyfriend was pleased, but he sensed something was wrong. “I take it that your day wasn’t as good.”

Sonny let out a sigh and shook his head. “It started of fine, but then it went downhill, when my mother stopped by.”

Will sat down at the counter and frowned. “I thought she said that she was going to try and do better. It hasn’t even been 24 hours.”

Sonny leaned on the counter and rubbed the inside of his hand with his thumb. “I know. She said that she still is.”

Will interrupted, because he knew there was more. “But..”

Sonny wanted to give his mother the benefit of the doubt, but he wasn't completely sure that she would keep her word. “She just wants to protect me.”

Will nodded, since that was what he felt after her warning to him. “That’s what mothers do. I wouldn’t hold it against her.”

Sonny didn’t agree with his boyfriend. “I know, but she says she wants me to be happy, but she doesn’t get that I can’t be happy, if I’m worried about what she’s thinking and whether or not she’s going to get upset about something that you do or say, how can I be happy?”

Will got up and walked around the count. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s neck. “You’re not suppose to worry about that.”

Sonny frowned at Will. “How can I not?”

Will kissed Sonny gently on the lips. “She’s worried about me. I just have to prove her wrong.”

Sonny frowned. “She should accept you because I love you.”

Will kissed Sonny again. “I don’t want you to worry, because I’m not worried. I love you and that’s all I want you to think about. Let me worry about your mother.”

Sonny wanted to protest more, but he could tell by the look in Will’s eyes that there would be no point. “Okay.”

Will smiled. “Good. Now what else happened to you.”

Sonny didn’t want to tell Will about Stephen, because he didn’t think he was a problem and it might ruin Will’s good mood, but he knew that he should. “Actually there was something else.”

Will began to run his fingers through Sonny’s hair. “Okay. Tell me.”

Sonny was just about to, when Sami came in. “You two are beyond adorable.”

Will quickly dropped his arms and smiled nervously, as he turned to face his mother. “Mom! Hey!”

Sami continued to smile at her son and his boyfriend. She was so scared for him, when he was away in detention, but seeing him like this let her know that he was going to be fine. “You don’t have to stop on my account.”

Will glanced over at Sonny and then walked around the counter. “We aren’t. We were just talking about our day, but we can do that later.’

Sami envied her son. “That’s wonderful.”

Will thought so too. “So what brings you by?”

Sami’s smile turned into a frown. “One its a coffeehouse and two, do I need a reason.”

Sonny wiped his hands off and smiled. “No you don’t. What can I get you?”

Sami smiled warmly at Sonny. “Nothing actually. I’m was hoping that I’d find Will. I wanted to talk to you.”

Will motioned for Sami to join him in a booth. “Sure. Lets sit down. Sonny can finish up what he was doing.”

Sami gave Sonny a nervous smile. “I was actually wanting to talk to him too, if that’s okay.”

Sonny walked around the counter, not sure what Sami would want to talk to him about and pointed at the corner table. “Sure. Let me check my customer.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had gotten Sami a cup of coffee and they sat in the booth by the counter, until Sonny was done. Sonny sat next to Will, after taking care of the customers bill. Will smiled at him, as he placed his hand on his leg, to comfort him and himself, for whatever his mother had to say. “So what did you want to talk to both of us about?”

Sami took a sip of her coffee and realized that she probably made it seem like it was a big deal. Well it was to her, but not in general. She put down her cup and smiled. “The holidays are coming and I was hoping the two of you would want to join us for Thanksgiving. Its your first one with us and I’m sure you would want Sonny to be there.”

Will looked at Sonny and gave him a pained smile, before turning back to his mom. “Is that all?”

Sami picked her cup up and began to drink, relieved that her son didn’t think it was a big deal. “Yeah. What did you think I wanted to talk to you about?”

Will shrugged, as he frowned at his mother. “I don’t know. You made it seem pretty mysterious. Is it going to be at the apartment?”

Sami let out a sigh, as she put her cup back down again. “That’s what I’d like, but its going to be cramped with the 5 of us and the 2 little ones.”

Will agreed. “Yeah it will be.”

Sami reached over the table and rested her hand on her son’s. “We can make it work. I’ve got so much to be thankful for with you home. I just want all my loved ones to be together and I think of Sonny as family. I’m thankful, you have him.”

Will agreed with is mom, he did have a lot to be thankful for this year, but there was one thing missing. “What about Dad? I wouldn’t want him to be all alone.”

Sami let go of Will’s hands and sat up straight. “I’m sure Lucas will be fine.”

Will wasn’t so sure. “He went through a lot when I went away and it took a lot for him to come back here. I’m grateful that he did and that he’s accepted Sonny and me. I don’t think he should be alone.”

Sami didn’t think that it would be a good idea for Lucas and Rafe to be in such close quarters. “He can spend it with Kate or Jennifer.”

Will reached over and grabbed his mother’s hand. “Alli and I are his family. Maybe we should spend it with him and you can spend yours with Johnny, Rafe and Gabi.’

Sami pulled her hands away. “No. I want my family with me.”

Will could be just as stubborn as his mother. “...and it doesn't what matter Dad wants?”

Sonny could see that the two of them were getting no where and he just remembered that there was another wrinkle to the situation. “My mother actually wanted Will and me to come to the mansion for Thanksgiving.’

Sami quickly turned her attention to Sonny. “You must be kidding.”

Will didn’t like his mother’s tone. “Mom! Adrienne has every right to want Sonny to be with her too. He wasn’t locked away, but this is his first major holiday home in a while too.”

Sami leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “I guess.”

Sonny leaned forward and tried to calm Sami and Will down. “I know that you don’t like my mother…”

Sami continued to pout. “It’s not like she’s in love with me either.”

Sonny let out a sigh. “I know, but she’s trying and you should too. What if I asked if we could all spend the holidays at the mansion?”

Sami shook her head. “No way.”

Will had to agree. “I don’t think that would work. Thanksgiving should be relaxing. I’ll be worried that mom and Adrienne will start throwing knives.”

Sami glared at her son. “Will!?”

Will turned to his mother. “What? Do you remember what holidays were like with you and grandma Kate?”

Guilt began to overcome Samantha. “Its not like I ever wanted them to be that way. It was…”

Sonny stood up and put up his hands to stop the two. “I don’t know what things were like for you growing up, but if you both try, it can work. I’ll tell my dad to put her on good behavior. Its a big house. You can just go to opposite corners.”

Will looked up at Sonny, he could tell that he was just trying to figure out a way for everyone to be happy. “You don’t know what you’re asking Sonny.”

Sonny not only had his mother, but Uncle Victor to worry about, so he knew exactly what he was asking. “I’m asking for people to put their own feelings aside for an afternoon. Believe me, I’ll have the same talk with my mother, if she’s willing to go along with it. I love you and really don’t want to have 3 dinners so that your mother, your father and my mother can get their way.”

Will thought about what Sonny was saying. “Three dinners would be a bit much.”

Sonny noticed the last customer getting up from their table. “Exactly, now you two work this out.”

Sami watched Sonny, as he made his way to the counter, then chuckled. “I guess he told us.”

Will smiled and nodded. “Yeah he did. Dad and the kids would probably love spending time with Maggie and she’s pretty good at keeping people in line. We’ll just make sure that you and Adrienne are at different ends of the table and that Rafe stays close to you and Justin close to Adrienne.”

Sami nodded, her approval to her son’s plan. “That might work.”

In theory it should, but Will still wasn’t sure. “Maybe for once, we can keep the dysfunction in our family under control. Sonny obviously wants this, so we are going to have to make it work.”

Sonny walked back over to the booth. “So what did you decide?”

Sami looked at Will, then smiled up at Sonny. “I promise to be on my best behavior. “

Sonny smiled at Sami, as she got up. “That’s great. I’ll call my mom and let her know.”

Will got up and Sami kissed him on the cheek before she left. “Tell her to let me know if I can bring anything.”

Sonny watched Sami leave and then turned back to Will. “Its going to be fine. This might be just what we need to help out mothers get past their problems.”

Will was still worried. “If we make it through the evening, without any major mishaps, I will certainly have something to be thankful for.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will went home with Sonny. It was Sonny’s place, but it felt like his own. He periodically would go home and get new clothes, but he purposely never took his other things home, but he still lived out of his bag that he kept tucked in the corner, so not to make Sonny’s apartment look messy. 

Will came out of the bathroom and Sonny was already in bed. He turned out the light over the table and walked over to the bed and climbed in on the right side. It was the first time that he had slept with someone other than his little brother and sister, who periodically would climb into bed with him when he came home, but he settled onto the right side.

Maybe it was because Sonny seemed to prefer the left side. He never asked him why. Maybe it was because it was closer to the bathroom, which he would sneak into to get dressed for work, and let Will sleep in if he didn’t have a class. Sonny was considerate that way. Sonny was looking at his tablet. “Did you forget something?”

Sonny put the table on the nightstand. “Sarah needs to take off a few days next week and I need to get a replacement.”

Will turned off the light on his side and settle down. “Is that the other thing that was bothering you earlier?”

Sonny had forgotten all about Stephen. “There was something else, but its late and I don’t really want to talk about it now.”

Will turned on his side. facing Sonny and rested his hand on his chest. “Are you sure? If you have a problem, you can tell me. I’m not really tired.”

Sonny slid down under the covers and started to play with the fingers on Will’s hand. “Its not really a problem. We can talk about it tomorrow.”

Will was more than willing to let the subject drop. He lifted up and kissed Sonny’s shoulder. “Fine by me.”

Sonny smiled, as Will made his way up to his ear. “You really aren’t tired.”

Will stopped and frowned at his boyfriend, in the dim light of the room. “Did you think that I was lying?”

Sonny turned and placed his hand behind Will’s head and pulled him in closer. “About not being tired, not really. Wanting to talk? Lying might be a bit of a stretch.”

Will kissed Sonny gently on the lips, as he moved above him. “I would have talked, if it got me what I really want.”

Will moved to Sonny’s neck, causing him to moan. “...and this is what you wanted.”

Will lifted up and straddled Sonny and peeled off his shirt, before coming back down to continue his task. “From the minute I snuck up behind you in the coffeehouse.”


	31. Soulmates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will and Sonny hit a rough patch about Stephen's sudden appearance in Salem.

Will had a late class and Sonny was scheduled to go in late to the coffeehouse. They decided to go out to breakfast and were enjoying an unusually warm November day in the square. Will stole a piece of Sonny’s muffin. “When are you going to call your mother about Thanksgiving?”

Sonny frowned at his boyfriend’s boldness, as he put down his coffee. “Probably later today. I told you, that you should get one.”

Will stole another piece. “You never finish yours anyway. So I figured that I could just finish yours.”

Sonny smacked Will’s hand, to make sure he didn’t make good on his word. “I’m hungrier today, after someone kept me up half the night.”

Will pouted and rubbed his hand where Sonny had hit him. “You didn't complain and were just as much to blame for it all.”

Sonny leaned forward and kissed Will gently. “I’m not complaining, just explaining why I’m hungry. I loved every minute of it.”

Will smiled, as Sonny pulled away and noticed someone over his shoulder, after he sat back. “There’s that guy again.”

Sonny looked over his shoulder, to see who Will was talking about. “What guy?”

Will got up and waved to call him over. “Stephen. Hey.”

Sonny frowned, when he saw who Will was talking about and turned back around. “Where do you know him from?”

Will glanced down at his boyfriend, then smiled when he saw that he had gotten his attention. “We meet yesterday.”

Stephen walked over to the two men. “Good morning Will. How are you?”

Will motioned at Sonny sitting beside him. “I’m fine. I just wanted you to meet my boyfriend.”

Sonny wished that the ground would open up and swallow him whole, as he felt Stephen approach. Stephen stood next to him. “I’d love to.”

Will frowned at Sonny, who was usually the friendly one of the two of them. “You have to excuse him. He’s only had 2 cups of coffee.”

Stephen knew who it was before he even looked up at him, but played like he had just realized. “Sonny? Is that you?”

Will was confused. “You two know each other?”

Sonny realized that there was no getting out of it, so he stood up and faced Stephen. “Yes we do. We met in Europe.”

Will was even more baffled. “Really? Well isn’t this a strange coincidence?”

Stephen knew that Sonny didn’t share Will’s sentiments. “Sonny didn’t think so when I stopped by the coffeehouse yesterday.”

Will frowned at Sonny, who didn’t seem pleased. “You stopped by the coffeehouse?”

Sonny didn’t want Will to find out about his ex this way, just as Stephen became amused by the knowledge. “Didn’t Sonny mention it to you?”

Sonny chimed in. “I didn’t think there was a reason to. I figured we settled everything.”

Will looked between Sonny and Stephen. Knowing that there was more to it than he was being told. “Is Stephen the other thing that you were going to tell me about?”

Sonny reached for Will’s hand. “Yes, but like I said, it was no big deal.”

Will pulled his hand away. “I’m not so sure. I ran into him after he had left you, I guess.”

Now it was Sonny’s turn to be confused. “You did?”

Stephen didn’t think their meeting had any meaning. “It was purely by accident. He bumped into me.”

Will wasn’t so sure. “Was it? I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going. Maybe you tried to run into me?”

Stephen had enough of the accusations. “You were the one that wanted to talk.”

Sonny was taken off guard, as he looked at his boyfriend. “You two talked?”

Will nodded, as he turned back to Sonny, when things became a little clearer. “He was telling me about a relationship that he messed up. Was that you?”

Sonny didn’t really feel that he needed to explain past relationships with current boyfriends, but with Stephen standing there with a smug look on his face, it was hard to avoid. “Yes we were in a relationship, but I told you about him.”

Will’s phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket to look at it. He bent down to grab his backpack. “I can’t talk about this now. I’m late for class.”

Sonny started after Will, but the waitress came up with the bill and stopped him. “Damn.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Stephen stood there and watched as Sonny took care of the bill. “So you told him about us?”

Sonny smiled at the waitress then grabbed his bag off of his chair. “There was no deep conversation. So get over yourself.”

Sonny was leaving and Stephen grabbed him by the arm. “Then why didn’t you tell him that I was in town?”

Sonny stopped and looked up at Stephen, not wanting him to get any ideas. His anger was evident. “I was going to, but I didn’t get around to it. Its not like it was important.”

Stephen could tell that Sonny was trying to hurt him, so he stepped back. “Fine. I’ll leave it alone.”

Sonny was happy that Stephen backed off, but he needed some answers. “Good. Now why the hell were you talking to my boyfriend about relationships?”

Stephen shrugged. He didn’t know that Will was Sonny’s boyfriend, but he wasn’t sure why he decided to spill his guts to him. “He started it and he seemed nice. I was taken aback, when he said that he was gay. I couldn’t have imagined being that comfortable about myself at his age. I can see why you love him. He’s sure of himself like you were and that’s why I was drawn to you.”

Sonny didn’t want to talk about his past with Stephen, but there was one thing that he needed to get straight. “I wasn’t that sure of myself, but being with you did help me with that.”

Stephen was happy that Sonny got something good out of their relationship. “I’m glad. If you got something good out of our time together that means that you still have good feelings about it.”

Sonny started to leave. “I’m not sure if they are good feelings, but I know that I deserved to be loved and that I won’t settle for anything less again.”

Stephen watched Sonny as he walked off. “I do love you Sonny and you’re going to realize that and your boyfriend might already see it.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny sent Will a text, but he didn’t reply. He wasn’t sure if it was because he was mad at him or just in class. He went to the coffeehouse and Sarah noticed his mood, so she stayed clear of him.

T had been wrapped up in the fraternity since everything had broken about Peter and the other guys. Things had finally settled and he stopped by the coffeehouse to talk with Sonny and hopefully Will. “Hey Sonny?”

Sonny was putting the last of the Halloween decorations away and getting out some Thanksgiving ones. “Hey T. What’s up?”

T noticed that there seemed to be another box and he decided to help his friend. “Not much. I was hoping Will would be here. I missed class today and thought I could get the notes from him.”

Sonny was glad that T hadn’t seen Will. He wasn’t in the mood to be attacked. “I haven’t seen him since breakfast.”

T put the box down. “...but he’s okay right? I haven’t seen you guys since the hospital.”

Sonny started taking the things out the box. “Yeah he’s fine. We’ve been planning the holidays.”

T smiled, happy for his friends. “That’s great. I’d hate to think that I had anything to do with you guys breaking up.”

Sonny started putting decorations on the tables. “Believe me, you won’t have anything to do with us breaking up.”

T frowned as he followed his friend with some of the nick knacks. “What do you mean. Is there trouble in paradise?”

Sonny realized that he’d said the wrong thing. He turned to get the things that T was holding. “No. I told you we’re fine.”

T stepped into Sonny’s space. “Not buying it. So spill it. You just said that you two were planning the holidays, but there was definitely something else in that breakup comment. What’s going on with you two?”

Sonny let out a sigh. “Its just a little misunderstanding. That’s all.”

T felt terrible. “About the other night?”

Sonny shook his head and walked around T to get more decorations. “No. I told you. An old boyfriend of mine showed up and Will ran into him, before I could tell him that he was here.”

T smiled at Sonny. “You sly dog.”

Sonny frowned at T. “It’s nothing like that, so take that smile off your face. There’s nothing going on.”

T stopped smiling. “I was just joking. What did the guy tell Will?”

Sonny’s shoulders dropped, as he imagined the conversation. “That he wants another chance.”

T was shocked. “Whoa. Would you give him one?”

Sonny took the decorations and went to put them out. “Hell no and I told him so. He’s just here on business and he’ll be gone back to Italy. Back where he belongs.”

T couldn’t help himself. “Are your sure? I dated this Italian girl once…”

Sonny turned and frowned at T and T got serious again. “He’s not Italian. He works for a company over there and they’re doing something with a company over here. I’m not sure what, but its just temporary.”

T could tell that Sonny was really upset about the situation. “Well if that’s the case, all you can do is ride it out and keep Will as happy as you can, until he’s gone. If you know what I mean.”

Sonny knew exactly what T meant. “I may take you up on your advice. I have no plans on seeing him again. I’ve told him already, that I love Will and that he’s wasting his time.”

T figured that he’d done all that he could do, so he got ready to leave. “Then my work here is done.”

Sonny chuckled, as T strutted out the door. “Never would have seen T as a love counselor.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will finished his class and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He took it out and looked at it, knowing full well who it was from. He read the message. “I hope you’re not mad at me. Not the best way to start a text Sonny, because it makes me think that I should be.”

Will let out a sigh and continued reading. “I didn’t mention Stephen because you were in such a good mood and I figured knowing he was around would upset you.”

Will walked over and sat on the bench. “Really Sonny. If I wasn’t upset before I would be now. Whatever. Please text me back, so that I know you’re alright. Love you S.”

Will shook his head and put his phone away. “I might say something I regret, so I better wait on that.”

Gabi came walking up. “Wait on what?”

Will got up. “Texting Sonny back. Haven’t seen you in awhile. How are things?”

Gabi smiled. “Good. I heard what happened from Rafe. Are you and Sonny okay and is that what the text was about?”

Gabi and Will became friends, when he first came back to Salem, but he wasn’t sure if she would be the right person to talk to about his love life. He wasn’t sure if things would get back to his mom, via Rafe. “Yes and no. The guy is in jail and there’s no lingering problems. The text was about something else.”

Gabi wasn’t one to let something go. “...but it was from Sonny?”

Will put his backpack on. “Yeah it was.”

Gabi continued to pry. “...and it obviously made you upset. What did he say?”

Will started walking home. “He didn’t say much of anything. He was just telling me that I shouldn’t be upset.”

Gabi walked along side of Will. “So that’s what has you upset. If you want to make someone mad at you, never tell them not to be mad at you.”

Will stopped. “Exactly. I mean, I was a bit upset, but the idea that he’s telling me that I shouldn’t be makes me even more so.”

Gabi laughed. “No offense, but you sound like a girl.”

Will immediately became offended. “No need to insult me.”

Gabi took Will’s arm and led him over to a bench. “I’m not, but what Sonny said was pretty typical of a guy and you getting upset, is kind of an emotional response and that’s more feminine than masculine.”

Will frowned at Gabi. “Did you just get out of your psychology class?”

Gabi took out her notebook. “No, but we talked about it last week. Male and female emotions.”

Will started to leave. “I didn’t want to talk about this in the first place and I definitely don’t want to be psychoanalyzed.”

Gabi grabbed Will to stop him from leaving. “I’m sorry. That’s not what I was trying to do. I’m just saying that Sonny’s right. You shouldn’t get mad. You should try and figure out why he did what he did. I’m sure there’s a reason.”

Will calmed down for a second and realized that Gabi was right. “I’m sure there is one. I’m just not sure I want to hear it right now. He’s at work anyway. I’ll let him think about it for a little while longer.”

Gabi let Will get up and go. She yelled behind him. “Okay, but don’t let him do it go too long.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will went home and was surprised to see his grandmother Marlena sitting in the living room. “Hey.”

Marlena got up and hugged her grandson. “Hey yourself. I was hoping you’d stop in. Its been a long time.”

Will agreed. “It has, but why are you here?”

Marlena went back to the sofa and picked up her tea. “Your mother had some errands to run and I hadn’t see the twins in a while either, so I volunteered to watch them.”

Will dropped his backpack and went to the kitchen for a bottle of water. “Oh.”

Marlena frowned at her grandson. “Oh? Alright, get whatever you are getting and get your butt over her and tell me what’s wrong.”

Will hated how his grandmother could tell what he was thinking so easily. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Malena was nothing, if not persistent. “You can’t fix it, if you don’t. Is it Sonny?”

Will took a drink of his water, as he walked back into the living room. “I guess that was pretty easy to figure out.”

Malena smiled and held out her hand for Will to sit by her. “Yeah it was. You two were so happy. What happened?”

Will put his bottle on the table. “His ex happened. He showed up in town and Sonny didn’t tell me.”

Marlena thought about what Will said. “Did he give you a reason?”

Will shrugged and picked up his water again. “He said, it wasn’t important.”

Marlena tried to give Sonny the benefit of the doubt. “Maybe he’s right. Sonny’s been back for a while now. Were they close?”

Will swallowed his water. “According to Stephen, they’re soulmates.”

Marlena frowned at her grandson. “And what does Sonny have to say about it?”

Will sat back. “He told me that he was dating an older man and at the time I did think that there was something there.”

Marlena nodded. “So he’s older.”

Will nodded. “Yeah. He was married and in the closet for a long time.”

Marlena understood. “That had to be hard, but that’s on him. Sonny’s with you.”

Will still had his doubts. “They broke up, because Stephen wasn’t comfortable being out yet and couldn’t give Sonny what he wanted. He wants him and if that’s the only reason that they broke up, what’s to say that Sonny doesn’t still want him too.”

Marlena became stern and took Will’s hand. “...and you have practically given him to him. Do you love Sonny?”

Tears started to form in Will’s eyes. “More than anything.”

Marlena smiled at her grandson. “Then trust him. You two have been through a lot and that means something. Don’t give this Stephen an opportunity to get back in, by turning your back on Sonny now.”

Will realized that was just what he was doing, when he left the two of them together. He got up to get his phone. “I better call him.”

Someone knocked at the door and Marlena got up to get it. “That sounds like a good idea.”

Will dialed Sonny’s number and it went to voicemail. “Darn he’s not picking up. Maybe I should go see him.”

Marlena smiled and let Sonny into the apartment. “Looks like someone else had the same idea.”

Sonny walked over to Will, his hands stuffed into his pockets. “I’m really sorry.”

Marlena decided that she should leave the two men alone. “I’ll be in the other room.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After Marlena left Will walked up and immediately pulled Sonny into his arms. “No, I’m sorry. I was taken off guard.”

Sonny sunk into Will’s grasp. “I wasn’t trying to hide anything from you. I love you.”

Will let Sonny go and looked into his eyes. “I love you too.”

Sonny leaned in and kissed Will. “Then are we okay?”

Will smiled. “Never better.”

Sonny took Will’s hand and led him to the sofa. “I’m glad to hear that, because I stopped and picked up something for you and this would be awkward if we weren’t.” 

Will frowned, as he followed his boyfriend and they sat down. “What did you buy?”

Sonny pulled out a box and held it in front of Will. “Its nothing big, but I thought it was something that it was time that you had.”

Will was still unsure what Sonny was talking about. He took the box from his hand and held it to his ear and shook it. He heard something rattle around. “What is it?”

Sonny smiled. “What good would it have been for me to wrap it, if I told you what it was. Open it.”

Will half smiled at Sonny, still not having a clue what was in the box, as he opened it. He pulled back the tissue to reveal the contents. “A key.”

Sonny nodded. “I figured that its time for you to stop keeping your things piled in the corner. So I emptied out a drawer for you too, if that’s okay.”

Will smiled broadened and he threw his arms around Sonny’s neck. “Its more than okay. “

Sonny wrapped his arms around Will’s back. “Good, because I wasn’t sure.”

Will pulled back and frowned. “Wasn’t sure? Why do you think I never took my things home? I just didn’t want to say anything.”

Sonny had noticed, but after his mother kept them apart, he wasn’t sure if it was just a safety net. “I just wasn’t sure if it was too soon.”

Will thought for a minute. “This isn’t because of Stephen is it?”

Sonny shook his head. “No. I’ve been wanting it for a while. You are everything that he isn’t and more. He’s only here on business and hopefully he’ll be gone soon. I don’t know what he told you, but I told him that I only want you.”

Will knew exactly what Stephen said. “He thinks you’re soulmates.”

Sonny was shocked. “I was attracted to him right away, but believe me, you’re my only soulmate.”

Will pulled Sonny into a kiss. “I’m going to get some more of my things.”

Sonny smiled, as Will got up and ran into his room. “Okay.”

Marlena came out. “I’m not going to pretend I wasn't listening.”

Sonny got up. “I meant every word.”

Marlena smiled. “I know. I’m happy for the two of you, but you need to make sure that this man understands where your feelings lie.”

Sonny nodded. “I won’t let Stephen come between me and Will. Stephen is my past. Will is my future.”

Malena opened her arms and gave Sonny a hug. “You two have something special and I’m glad that you see it too.”

Will came out and saw Malena talking to Sonny. “What’s going on?”

Marlena and Sonny just smiled at each other. Marlena put her arm around her grandson. “I was just congratulating Sonny, on being so wise.”

Will smiled at Sonny. “Yeah, that’s what first attracted me to him.”

Sonny immediately got embarrassed. “You got your stuff?”

Will nodded. Sonny was usually so calm and put together, so he loved, whenever he was able to throw him off his game. “Yeah. I’ll call my mom later, but can you tell her what happened?”

Marlena gave her grandson a hug, then walked them out. “I certainly will. You two take care.”


	32. Be Careful What You Wish For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sonny talks to his dad about Thanksgiving and his living arrangements, while Will tries his hand at persuading his grandma Kate to his way of thinking.

Will and Sonny made it back to the apartment and Sonny let Will use his key to open the door. “It works.”

Sonny walked in behind Will smiling. “Of course it does. Did you think I was playing a trick on you?”

Will put his bag on the bed. “No, but it might have been made wrong.”

Sonny walked over and put his arms around Will’s waist and pulled him close. “The key is fine and we are fine.”

Will was serious. He knew that Stephen was still around and how he felt. “We are, but Stephen is still here and he will try and cause trouble.”

Sonny smiled. “Let him. We’re together and I’m going to make sure that you know that you are the only man for me.”

Will smiled, as he draped his arms around Sonny’s neck. “You are?”

Sonny stepped closer and kissed Will gently. “I am. I’m going to kiss away every doubt.”

Will dropped his arms and pointed to his neck. “You can start riiiight here.”

Sonny smiled and leaned in towards the spot that Will was pointing. “Your wish is my command.”

Will closed his eyes and placed his hand on the back of Sonny’s head. “Maybe I won’t mind him being around for a while.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny was in a wonderful mood. He and Will had moved in together and were enjoying all that entailed. 

It was the week of Thanksgiving. Stephen had seemed to drop off the face of the Earth, but Sonny still wanted to show Will that he was all that he wanted. Will wasn’t content to just take though, he wanted Sonny to know that he was all that Sonny would ever need. 

What started off as just a game, turned into many sleepless nights, but Sonny wasn’t complaining. 

Sonny was working when his father came in. “Hey Sonny.”

Sonny turned around and flashed a smile in his father’s direction. “Dad. Hi. Haven’t seen you in a while.”

Justin perched himself on a stool at the counter. “I’ve been working on a deal. I’m hoping to wrap it up by Thanksgiving.”

Sonny turned around to get his father some coffee. “Looks like you could use a pick me up.”

Justin smiled when his son sat a cup of coffee in front of him. “I sure could, but that’s not the only reason I stopped by. I thought something might be wrong, but you seem really happy.”

Sonny leaned on the counter and frowned. “Wrong? No. Will and I are beyond happy.”

Justin frowned into his cup. “You must be or you would have more sense than to try and set up a Thanksgiving dinner with your mother and Sami Brady.”

Sonny stood up and wiped his hands. “I know it sounds crazy. Will wasn’t keen on the idea either.”

Justin put down his cup. “I knew there was something that I liked about that guy.”

Sonny chuckled. “That’s exactly the point. You like Will and mom said that she was going to try. She told me to bring him.”

Justin nodded, as he continued to frown. “I know. She is trying, but adding Sami into the equation is asking too much for her.”

Sonny smiled, as he refilled his father’s cup. “That’s where you come in. Will and I will run interference, but you and Rafe will be helping to keep them in check. Its a big house and other people will be there. It’ll be fine.”

Justin took the cup and shook his head. “I’ll do my part, but I still think that you’re asking for trouble.”

Sonny smiled. “It will be fine. This is going to be the start of mom and Sami working through their problems. Will isn’t going anywhere, so she might as well get use to Sami being around.”

Justin was happy for his son. “Sounds like you two are pretty serious.”

Sonny hadn’t told his parents about him and Will’s living arrangements. “He moved in last week.’

Justin almost lost his coffee. “Does your mother know?’

Sonny shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter if she does. I’m not living under her roof and I can do what I want.”

Justin wiped his face with a napkin. “I get that, but I don’t want her blindsided. A good way to get her on your side is to be open with her. Don’t let her find out things through the grapevine. Let alone from Sami, because she obviously knows that Will moved out. I’ll give Sami some slack, but if she finds out that she knows something your mother doesn’t, she’ll rub your mother’s nose in it.”

Sonny never thought about that. “You’re right. I guess it would be adding to the problem.”

Justin got up. “Exactly. I expect you to tell her right away, because I’ll certainly bring it up tonight, but I’d rather she hears from you.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will had met up with his grandmother Kate. “I wish you would come to dinner. I hate the idea of you being alone.”

Kate put down her menu. “It won't be the first holiday that I’ve spent alone and it won't be the last.”

Will leaned on the table. “That’s exactly the point. You’ve spent too many alone. Maybe Sonny and I can stop by before.”

Kate stirred her coffee. “No. Don’t do that. I’ll be fine. I might start my Christmas shopping. Is there anything that you want or something for Sonny?”

Will pouted. “It should be against the law, that stores are open on Thanksgiving. You should be with family.”

Kate smiled at the waitress, who came over for her order. “I’ll be fine.”

Will waited, as she gave the waitress her order, then shook his head, when she asked if he wanted anything. “Can we at least do dinner on Friday?”

Kate smiled. “That would be lovely. You and Sonny must be getting along pretty well. Spending holidays together and trying to get the family to get along.”

Will couldn’t hold back his smile. “We are doing great. If you had told me 6 months ago, that I would be with someone like him, I’d say that you were dreaming. Sometimes I still think that I am.”

Kate was so happy for her grandson. “That explains the smile.”

Will got serious again. “..and it explains why I want out families to get along.”

Kate picked up her coffee. “This is how I get along. Its been working well with your mother for years now.”

Will knew when he had been beaten. “I’ll drop the subject.”

The waitress brought Kate her meal. “Great. I was worried you were going to spoil my appetite.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sami was fluster as she rushed through HTS, thinking about what had just happened at work. She looked through her purse for her keys. “Hey Sami.”

Sami stopped and looked to see who was talking to her. “Adrienne. Hello.”

Adrienne could tell that something was wrong. “Is everything okay?”

Sami finally found her keys. “Its fine. I just couldn’t find my keys. I’m glad you caught my attention. I had asked Will to let me know if you needed anything for the Thanksgiving dinner.”

Sami wasn’t known for her cooking, but Adrienne was polite. “No. I think everything is fine. Cook takes care of most of it.”

Having a cook at Thanksgiving isn’t much different than going to a restaurant, but she figured that was what they were use to. “I guess that’s true. I would think that you would want something homemade. Will loves it when I make grandma Alice’s cookies. I could bring those.”

Adrienne shook her head. “That won’t be necessary.”

Sami was getting frustrated. “I can’t come empty handed. I’ll think of something.”

Adrienne became more firm. “Please don’t. We don’t need anything.”

Sami frowned. “I don’t see what the problem is. I’m trying to be nice. Does this have to do with Will moving in with Sonny?”

Adrienne hadn’t had much time to adjust to that piece of news. “No it doesn’t. I’m trying to be nice too. I’m not going to be doing any of the cooking, so why should you?”

Sami raised her voice. “Because I like cooking for my family. You should try it.”

Adrienne was just about to reply when Will came up and stopped the conversation. “Is everything okay?”

Sami turned to her son. “I was just trying to find out if I could bring something to dinner, but Adrienne doesn’t think my cooking is good enough.”

Adrienne crossed her arms over her chest. “I never said that.”

Will turned to his mother. “The cook does all the cooking mom. You wouldn’t want to insult him.”

Sami looked at her son and thought about what he said. “I guess. Maybe I can bring flowers for the table.”

Adrienne started to protest, but Will looked at her and she thought the better of it. “That would be lovely. Thank you.”

Sami smiled. “Great. I’ll see you Thursday.”

Adrienne and Will watched as Sami walked off and Will smiled at Adrienne. “Thank you.”

Adrienne turned to face Will. “I’m sorry. I guess I could have let her bring something.”

Will giggled. “Don’t apologize. My brother and sister seem to have survived her cooking, but I don’t have fond memories of her Thanksgiving dinners. You did everyone a favor.”

Adrienne laughed. “I’m glad. I heard that you moved in with Sonny.”

Will got serious. “To be honest, I was practically living there anyway.”

Adrienne tried to reassure Will. “I wish that he’d told me sooner, but I’m glad you two are getting along. He’s happy, I can tell.”

This might have been the first time that Will felt that Adrienne was being sincere. “We both are.”

Adrienne leaned over closer to Will. “Don’t tell Sonny I said this, but maybe you could convince him to get a bigger place and he could invite people over. He’s kind of proud of that place, but its really small.”

Will didn’t want to spoil the close moment, but he liked Sonny’s place. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Adrienne smiled. “We just might get along after all, Mr Horton.”

Will watched, as Adrienne left. “Wow.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny and Will showed up a little early to the mansion on Thanksgiving, so that Sonny could talk with his father. “So how was she this morning?”

Justin poured himself a drink. “She was fine. She’s been fine all week. She said that she ran into Sami and had a nice talk with Will. So I think we’re good to go.”

Sonny was still worried. “Will did say that she was being nice to him. He’s not the one I’m worried about. He said that she wouldn’t let Sami bring anything.”

Justin noticed his wife approaching. “Well, they seemed to work it out. Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to make sure her mood stays up.”

Adrienne joined her husband and son. “I know what you’re talking about and everything is going to be fine. Dinner is almost ready and we’re just waiting for Sami to bring the flowers for the table. I told you that I will be on my best behavior and I will.”

Justin handed Adrienne her glass of wine. “That’s what I told him.”

Sonny kissed his mother and went to find Will. “I’m going to hold you to that.”

Will was talking to his father, when Sonny joined them. “Hey. Is everything okay?”

Sonny wrapped his arm around Will’s waist. “She said that it is.”

Lucas wasn’t any help. “I’m sure she is now, but when Sami gets here all bets are off.”

And just like on cue, Sami came walking in. Rafe, Gabi and the kids in tow. Maggie went over to greet them. “I’m so happy you all could make it.”

Sami smiled and looked around for her son. “Thanks for having us.”

Maggie smiled and bent down to talk with the kids. “Its always nice to have little ones around at the holidays. I know it’s early, but we already have the lights up in the garden for Christmas, if you want to see them.”

Johnny and Alli turned to their mother. “Can we mommy?”

Sami smiled at her children. “Sure you can, but Alli, you should say hello to your father first.”

Sami took Alli over to Lucas and he decided to go with the kids to see the garden, leaving Sami with Will and Sonny. Will could tell that his mother was uncomfortable. “You can relax. Adrienne is glad that you’re here.”

Sonny tried to help. “Plus Maggie loves to have a full house. Its been a long time. “

Rafe brought Sami a drink. “Here you go. You okay?”

Will and Sonny went to join Gabi, who didn't really know anyone, as Sami took her drink. “I’m fine.”

Everything was going better than expected. Adrienne and Sami had exchanged pleasantries and it seemed like everything would go off without a hitch.

Sonny and Will were talking in the corner. Sonny played with the lapel on Will’s jacket. “I told you that everything would go fine.”

Will was pretty sure that his boyfriend was right, but he didn’t want to celebrate too soon. “Its still early and we haven’t sat down to dinner yet.”

Sonny stepped closer to Will and wrapped his arms around his waist. “Admit it that I was right. Our families are going to get along just fine and we can stop worrying about them and just think about us.”

Will smiled at his boyfriend. “Isn’t that what we’ve been doing?”

Sonny kissed Will. “...and I’ve loved every minute of it.”

The doorbell rang and Sonny turned around and frowned, as Justin made his way out into the entryway. “Who could that be? I thought everyone was here.”

Will turned Sonny back around to face him. “You’re too easily distracted.”

Sonny smiled and went back in for another kiss. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

Will shook his head. “I doubt if anyone cares.”

Justin came back. “I hope no one minds, but I invited a business associate to dinner. This is Stephen Benson.”

Will looked over Sonny’s shoulder, as Sonny turned around. “What the hell is he doing here?”

Sonny turned and headed towards his father. “I’m going to find out.”

Justin smiled at his son, when he saw him approaching. “Sonny, this is the man that I’ve been working so hard with.”

Sonny was just about to say that he knew exactly who he was, when Sami interrupted. “This is the man that is trying to put me out of a job.”

Sonny turned and looked at Sami. “What?”

Sami stood in front of Stephen. “I saw you coming out of the meeting, right before they announced that we were being sold to another company.’’

Justin interrupted. “Yes, Stephen does represent the company that’s taking over…”

Stephen smiled at Sami and took over for Justin. “...but we have no intention of firing anyone. We are just trying to get into the American market.”

Sami crossed her arms over her chest. “You want me to believe that there won’t be consolidations and layoffs? I’ve never been part of a company that didn’t have that.”

Stephen continued to try and ease Sami’s fears, while looking good in front of Sonny. “Yes that’s true, but there are things that can’t change. Believe me when I say that things will be much better under our control and you’re going to love the perks.”

Sami frowned at the man. “What perks?”

Stephen smiled. “Have you ever seen Milan at Christmas time?”

Sami was intrigued. “What do you mean?”

Stephen knew that he had Sami’s attention. “The most productive units get to spend time at home office.”

Sami smiled. “That’s Milan?”

Stephen nodded. “Sure is.”

Sami decided that she had heard enough. “I guess that gives me something to shoot for.”

Stephen bowed, as Sami left. “It certainly does.”

Justin whispered to Stephen. “You know there are going to be cuts.”

Stephen whispered back. “I know, but we’ll have to make sure that she isn’t one of them.”

Sonny watched the two, as they exchanged words. “You lied to her didn’t you?”

Stephen looked at Sonny. “No I didn’t. We do bring our top employees to the home office. Sometime for training and sometimes as other perks. I’m hurt that you think that I would lie.”

Justin frowned at his son. “Yes Sonny, you barely even know Stephen.”

Sonny walked away. “Oh I know him, alright.”

Justin watched his son, as he left, then turned to Stephen. “What did he mean by that?”

Stephen headed for the bar. “Your son and I crossed paths in Europe. I think I’ll fetch myself a drink.”

Justin watched Stephen walk off. “What the hell?”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny walked back over to Will. Will could tell that he was upset. He placed his hand on his shoulder. “Okay, I can see that didn’t go well. What is he doing here?”

Sonny let out a deep breath. “Turns out that he’s been working with my dad to take over the company that your mom works for.”

Will looked over at his mother. “No shit.”

Sonny shook his head. “Then he convinced her that she won’t lose her job and she might get to go to Italy because of it.”

Will knew how easily his mom could be swayed by the promise of travel to exotic places. “..and she ate it up.”

Sonny nodded sadly. “All I know is that he better stay true to his word.”

Will thought the same thing. “Did you tell him that?”

Sonny wanted to tell Stephen a lot of things. “I didn’t want to make a scene. Your mom’s happy and this is too important to us, to let Stephen spoil it. I’ll just avoid him. I’m sure he’ll be sitting near my dad, since he didn’t know that he knew anyone.”

Will tried to make Sonny feel better. “You’re probably right and we can play footsie under the table.”

Just then they were called into dinner. Sonny headed for the door. “Let’s get this over with.”

Will put his arm around Sonny’s shoulder, as they made their way towards the dining room. “The sooner it starts, the sooner it will be over.”


	33. Thanksgiving Turkey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone sits down for Thanksgiving dinner. Stephen is the center of conversation, to Sonny's and Will's dismay.

Everyone made their way into the dining room and found their seats. Sonny was right, that Stephen wasn’t sitting next to him. Maggie was at the head of the table and he and his mom sat on either side of the table by her.

Will sat next to him, and his sister Alli was next to him. Stephen wasn’t too far away, he sat next to Justin, who was seated next to his mother. Lucas and Gabi finished out their side, leading to Victor at the other head. 

Sami wasn’t a fan of Victor either, so they sat Rafe on the other side of Victor with Johnny and Sami finishing their side, leading back to Alli. They probably figured, Sami between two small children, would keep her occupied. Will would be there to help with Alli and Rafe with Johnny if need be.

Stephen wasn’t directly across from the boys. He was close enough, which made It hard to not notice him, but Sonny was determined to not let him spoil their day. Justin showed him his seat. “You’re next to me.”

Stephen smiled, when Justin introduced him to Lucas. Lucas wasn’t overly worried about Sami, but he still wasn’t pleased. “So you’re taking over our competition?”

Stephen settled into his seat. After meeting Sami, he was well aware that he was in a hostile environment. “Not me personally, but yes. We checked into your company. I’m sure you’ll give us a run for our money.”

Lucas picked up his ice tea, not impressed by the man. “I’m sure we will.”

Will saw the two men talking. “Dad should keep Stephen occupied.”

Sonny put his napkin on his lap, as they brought out the salad. “Let’s hope so.”

Things were going well, as people chatted about how fast the year had gone and how Christmas was around the corner. Johnny and Alli made everyone laugh, as they rattle off all the things that they wanted from Santa and Sami tried to reel them in. 

Maggie noticed Stephen, as he watched the children and decided to get Sami off the hook and changed the subject. She had no knowledge of Stephen’s background. “So Stephen, do you have any children?”

The question made Sonny stop, as he was about to put his fork in his mouth and Will noticed. “What’s wrong?”

Sonny shook his head and continued eating, while he eyed Stephen. “Nothing.”

Stephen wiped his mouth. “I have two.”

Maggie smiled. “That’s nice. They must have missed you, being so far away on business.”

Stephen took a sip of his wine. “They don’t live with me. They live with their mother in California.”

Maggie felt bad for the man, being separated from his family. “Will you get to see them while you’re in the states?”

Stephen shook his head. “I’m afraid not. She’s been very protective of them, since I told her that I was gay.”

Adrienne coughed a bit, as the food she was chewing got caught. She pulled herself together and smiled at Stephen. “Really? That’s horrible. How long were you together?”

Stephen wanted Sonny to see how comfortable he’d gotten with his sexuality. “Its was 10 years. I don’t blame her. I lied to her the whole time. I tried to hide who I was to make my family happy, but I could only do it so long. Its really nice to see that you accept your sons and their relationship. I wish that I had that when I was growing up.”

Adrienne felt bad for Stephen. “It wasn’t easy, but we love our son and would never turn our backs on him because of who he loves. That doesn’t change the person that he is.”

Sonny glanced at Will and took his hand, then smiled at his mom. “Thanks mom.”

Sami decided to add her piece. “I guess with us, it was different. We lost a lot of time with Will and finding out he was gay, was a surprise, but we didn’t want to lose anymore time with him, because of it.”

Stephen was curious. “Why did you lose time with him?”

Sami glanced at Will, realizing that she said the wrong thing. She bit her lip, trying to think of a response, but Will answered for her. “I was in a juvenile detention center, for trying to kill a man.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Stephen was caught off guard and stared at Will. “You tried to kill a man?”

Johnny felt the need to interject, since he was well aware of what had happened. “It was my dad, but that’s okay. He use to hurt people, but he’s better now.”

Stephen looked at the child. The idea that he could speak so openly about his father being almost killed, amazed him. “I’m sure Will wouldn’t try and kill a nice person. He doesn’t seem like the type.”

Sonny decided to add his opinion. “...and he paid for what he did. Its not a secret and it doesn’t change him or how I feel about him.”

Will was still holding Sonny's hand, so he squeezed it, as he smiled at him. “...and that is why I love you.”

Maggie and Sami both let out in unison. “Awww”

Victor had enough of the mushy talk and the salad. “I’ve had enough of the rabbit food. Where’s the turkey?”

Johnny started chanting. “Turkey, turkey, turkey.”

Sami put her hand on her son’s to stop him. Just as the food was brought out. Stephen took a sip of his wine and watched Will and Sonny, as they whispered in each others ear. They were happy with the support they were getting from both sides of their family and unaware of him.

Justin was well aware. He leaned over. “I’ve seen how ruthless you can be, so I hope companies are all that you’re planning on acquiring while you’re here.”

Stephen glanced at Justin. “The strategies in business don’t work in love.”

Justin took the rolls from his wife, and passed them to Stephen after taking one. “Well, you’ve seen how I can be and I’m even worse when someone messes with my family.”

Sami finished getting the children’s plates filled, then interrupted Justin and Stephen. She wanted to know more about Stephen’s travels. “I haven’t traveled much. I’ve heard that when you’re in Europe, its easy to see other countries. Have you seen other places besides Italy?”

Stephen was grateful to be taken away from Justin. Sonny didn’t seem like he wanted to hide that they knew each other. He figured that he had lost him, so he’d let his new boyfriend know just how close they were. “I haven’t traveled much recently, except for work. I traveled alot when I first went to Europe. I guess I was trying to get away, after my marriage fell apart. I met Sonny in Paris.”

Adrienne stopped eating and looked at her son, as Sami leaned forward and glanced at Sonny. “I didn’t know you two knew each other.”

Adrienne joined in. “Neither did I.”

Sami gave Adrienne a frustrated look, then went back to her conversation? “Is that how Stephen and Justin began to work together?”

Sonny didn’t look up from his plate, at either of them. “Them working together was just as much a surprise to me, as it was to you. I didn’t know why Stephen was here.”

Stephen decided to help Sami out. “He’s right. We haven’t seen each other since we broke up and haven’t exactly kept in touch. My appearance was unexpected, but given how close we were, needless to say, I was thrilled when I heard that I was coming to Salem, knowing that he was here.”

Adrienne interjected, to clarify things. “You dated?”

Stephen leaned forward and smiled at Adrienne. “Yes, we did.”

Will had about enough and Sonny could feel him getting tense. He placed his hand on Will's leg. “Its okay.”

Will glanced at Sonny, then looked back at Stephen. “Are you sure?”

Sonny smiled at Stephen. “Yes I am. I’m not ashamed that Stephen and I dated. I dated quite a few guys when I was in Europe. I never lied about it.”

Adrienne played with the food on her plate and spoke under her breath. “You never told me about any of them.”

Justin heard his wife and touched her under the table and she got quiet. 

Stephen smiled back at Sonny. He could tell that he was getting under his skin. “True. Sonny was very popular. He showed me around Paris. All the hot spots. He knew them all. Until we decided that each others company was better.”

Sonny’s smile faded. “...but that wasn’t enough for you.”

Now it was Will turn to calm his boyfriend. “Its okay Sonny.”

Sonny looked at Will, then put his napkin on the table and got up. “I need some air. Excuse me.”

Stephen looked around the table, as everyone watched Sonny leave. He felt he should explain. “Our breakup was kind of hard on him.”

Will dropped his napkin on the table and glared at Stephen. He then got up and followed his boyfriend. “He left you, because you’re a jerk.”

Lucas decided to try and ease the tension. “With them gone, that means more for us. Can you pass me the cranberries Rafe?”

Adrienne wanted to go after her son, but Justin stopped her, then turned his attention to the real problem. “Will will take care of him. Our business is done, so you’ll probably be leaving soon, right Stephen?”

Stephen didn’t let the events phase him, he continued eating his dinner. “Yes I will, but I’ll probably have to make trips back, until things are finalized.”

Justin went back to his meal. “That’s true, but we won’t have to be involved for that.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny walked out into the garden. The weather had started to turn and there was a definite chill in the air. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself and shook his head. “What an idiot.”

Will came out and found him. “You’re right he is. You know he was trying to get to you.”

Sonny knew exactly what Stephen was trying to do and he was more mad at himself for letting him do it. He didn’t bother to turn around. “I do and I was referring to myself. I’m sorry. I ruined everything.”

Will wrapped his arms around Sonny. “You didn’t ruin anything. I think that your mother might think that I’m not such a bad catch after meeting him.”

Sonny leaned back on Will and laughed. “She’s probably questioning my taste in men, in general.”

Will tightened his grip around Sonny and shook him. “Hey.”

Sonny placed his hand on Will’s arms. “I’m serious. Stephen being like that, just shows that I was a fool to ever be with him and all types of thoughts are probably going through her mind, about the other guys.”

Will kissed the side of Sonny’s face. “Your mom isn’t the issue. He’s lashing out because he regrets losing you. I think he’s just hurting.”

Sonny leaned forward and turned to face his boyfriend. “You’re not feeling sorry for him, are you?”

Will shook his head and draped his arms over Sonny’s shoulders. “Never. If he hadn’t screwed up, I wouldn’t have you.”

Sonny didn’t agree. “Remember that talk we had about things happening for a reason. If he hadn’t hurt me, I would have sworn off older men for another reason. We’re meant to be, remember?”

Will laughed and ran his fingers through Sonny’s hair, as he pulled him into a kiss. “Then I’m even more grateful that he’s a jerk. We should get back inside. They are going to worry about us.”

Sonny grabbed Will’s lapels, when he started to leave and pulled him back to him. “Let them worry.”

Will smiled and wrapped his arms around Sonny’s neck. “Fine by me, I was starting to get cold, but I can’t think of a better way to warm up.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny and Will went to the parlor, where they were serving dessert. Things were much calmer, as people mingled around. Sami and Gabi kept Stephen occupied, until the kids started to get tired. Sami walked over to Will and Sonny, as they talked by the fireplace. “I think we’re going to leave.”

Will looked over Sami’s shoulder and saw Rafe holding a worn out Alli. “Awwwe. I guess she had fun.”

Sami glanced over at everyone getting ready to go. “We all did. This was a great idea Sonny. I hope Stephen being here wasn’t too uncomfortable for you.”

Sonny looked around, but didn’t see him. He ran his hand uneasily through his hair, grateful for that. “No, it was okay. I just wish I knew that he was going to be here. Thanks for keeping him occupied.”

Sami shrugged. “If he’s going to be my boss, I guess I’m glad I had time to butter him up a bit. At least I hope I did.”

Will put his hand on his mother’s back to reassure her. “I’m sure you did fine. I’ll walk you out.”

Sami turned to get her coat. “Thanks. Johnny will like that.”

Will checked with Sonny before he left. “You going to be okay?”

Sonny nodded. “I’ll be fine. Stephen’s probably in the hall leaving with everyone else anyway. I can do without saying goodbye.”

Will gave Sonny a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be right back.”

Stephen wasn’t in the entryway. He had gone to the bathroom and came back shortly after Will had left. He noticed Sonny, having a cup of coffee by the fireplace and looked around, as he walked over to join him. “Where did everyone go?”

Sonny was watching the flames in the fireplace dance. He closed his and tried to calm himself before he turned around, when he heard Stephen’s voice. “The kids were getting tired, so Sami left. I thought that you had left too.”

Stephen pointed over his shoulder. “I went to the restroom, but took a wrong turn. This place is huge. I can’t believe you left it to backpack across Europe.”

Sonny sipped his coffee. “My family wasn’t living here when I left. They were in Dubai. A very different environment and not very accepting of gays. You know what its like to not be accepted.”

Stephen put his hand to his heart. “Ouch.”

Sonny didn’t feel sorry for Stephen. “Don’t expect me to be nice to you, after dinner. What are you even doing here?”

Stephen decided to make himself a drink. He played coy. “Your father invited me.”

Sonny watched Stephen, as he filled a glass with brandy. “Don’t put it on him. You probably jumped at the chance. You knew he was a father and figured I'd be here.”

Stephen walked back over to Sonny. “I won’t deny it. I did want to see you again.”

Sonny frowned. “...but why? I told you that I love Will.”

Stephen took a sip of his drink. “I wanted to see for myself. I wanted to see how you were with someone else.”

Sonny was starting to think that Stephen had lost his mind. See him with someone else? Who does something like that? He decided that he didn’t really care if he had. “I have no clue why, but you saw us. Why are you still here?”

Stephen swirled the liquid in the glass. “I’m not a threat to you Sonny. You say you love Will, so why do you care if I’m around?”

Sonny was starting to get agitated. “I don’t, but I don’t think its right to have my ex hanging around all the time. It bothers Will.”

Stephen stepped closer to Sonny, so that he could place his glass on the mantel behind him. He purposely didn't step back. “I think it bothers you.”

Sonny wanted to move away, but the mantel was behind him. He refused to let Stephen know he was flustered, by him being so close. “It doesn’t. I told you. I love Will.”

Stephen smiled down at Sonny, knowing that he was in his personal space and enjoying Sonny feeling uneasy because of it. “I don’t believe you.”

Will came back into the parlor and saw Stephen with Sonny. He pulled him away from Sonny, then stood in front of his boyfriend. “You don’t get it do you. He said he loves me and you need to back off.”

Stephen didn’t like Will manhandling him. He straightened out his jacket. “We were just talking.”

Sonny patted Will’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I had it under control.”

Will talked over his shoulder. “I don’t like the way he was all up on you.”

Stephen smiled. “My how things have changed. When we were together, you liked to be on top. Now you’re taking it from the likes of him? He probably learned a lot in juvie.”

Will had all that he could take and slugged Stephen. Stephen took the punch and rubbed his jaw, as he glared at Will afterwards. “Why you…”

Justin and Lucas, had just come back into the parlor and saw Will hit Stephen. They rushed over and grabbed Stephen by the arms. “I think you should be heading home.“

Stephen tried to pull away from the two men. “He hit me.”

Lucas helped Justin show Stephen the door. “He should have done it a long time ago. Nice shot kid.”

Will rubbed his hand as he watched them leave. “I should have.”

Sonny saw Will rubbing his hand and reached for it. “Let me see. You shouldn’t have hit him.”

Will didn’t agree. “He was asking for it.”

Sonny walked over to the bar. “Yeah he was, but he was just lashing out. You even said so. You made it seem like he was right.”

Will watched, as Sonny took a napkin and put ice in it. “He was being a jerk and he was coming on to you.”

Sonny brought back the ice and put it on Will’s knuckles. “So you were jealous? You sure it wasn’t the juvie statement?”

Will didn’t want to admit it, but he shrugged. “Maybe a little of both.”

Sonny kissed Will gently. “You have no reason to be jealous. He was just trying to make me squirm.”

Will didn’t like Stephen being so close to Sonny. “You should have pushed him away.”

Sonny thought the same thing. “I didn’t want to make a scene and you didn’t give me a chance.”

Will looked down at his hand. “Sorry.”

Sonny put his hand under Will’s chin to make him look at him. “Don’t ever be sorry for protecting me.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny and Will stayed at the mansion, a little while longer, before heading home. Will put his arms around Sonny’s waist and kissed his cheek, as he opened the door. “Thanks for a great evening.”

Sonny frowned over his shoulder, as he opened the door and they went inside. He thought he was being sarcastic. “Yeah right.”

Will took off his coat and began to undo his tie. “I’m serious. In spite of Stephen, I think our parents got along. Your mother didn’t make one snide remark and except for her attacking Stephen at first, my mom was on her best behavior.”

Sonny placed his suit jacket on the back of the chair. “I guess. I’m still sorry Stephen was there.”

Will pulled his shirt out of his pants. “I think he took the pressure off and except at the end, he didn’t really say anything bad.”

Sonny sat down to take off his shoes. “I’d rather he hadn’t told everyone that we knew each other in Europe.”

Will leaned on the back of the chair, by the table. “I know, but I already knew, so its not like it was a shock. There was one thing that he said that did make me wonder.”

Sonny sat on the end of the bed and eyed his boyfriend. “What’s that?”

Will crossed his arms over his chest. “That you were always on top with him? Is that true?”

Sonny got up and walked over to Will. “Yeah, I guess.”

Will thought and nodded. “That explains our first time?”

Sonny cocked his head, like he didn’t hear Will. “What?”

Will stood up and placed his hands on Sonny’s waist. “The first time that we were together. You were on top.”

Sonny shook his head. “It wasn’t like that. I wanted you, but you seemed to need me more and I was used to it being that way so…”

Will was taken off guard. “You had never…”

Sonny shook his head. “No.”

Will walked away from Sonny and ran his hand through his hair, then turned around. “Wow. I never would have guess that. But why?”

Sonny shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I wanted to have control of my life and that was a way to do it.”

Will smiled at Sonny in disbelief. “I could never see you as being controlling or feeling the need to be.”

Sonny stepped closer to Will. “I told you that I did a lot of searching before coming home. That was part of it.”

Will took a step towards Sonny. “Why me? Why would you be with me, when you never felt like you wanted to with anyone else?”

Sonny laughed. “Why not you? I never had a real relationship until you. Stephen was probably the closest and that wasn’t real either. He was older and I thought that he had his life together, but he didn’t. Your life should have been a mess, but you made the most sense of anyone that I’ve ever known. I finally found what I had been looking for and there was no reason to hold back. You are right. There's a reason that it took us so long to figure things out. Everyone else was based on an attraction. My feelings for you were much deeper. I wanted to share everything with you and I still do.”

Will closed the distance and pulled Sonny into his arms and kissed him deeply. “I do too."


	34. Leftovers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving is over and Will and Sonny both have people walk out of their lives.

It was the day after Thanksgiving and a busy day at the coffeehouse. Sonny would have loved to spend it with Will, but being the boss, he didn’t think it was right to take advantage of his employees. 

He woke early and smiled at Will who was still curled up next to him, his head leaning on his shoulder. He kissed his forehead, before gently getting out of bed and heading to the shower. 

He stopped one more time and looked back at Will, who hadn’t moved, but must have been dreaming, because he had a smile on his face. “Whatever it is, it certainly is making you happy.”

Sonny went into the bathroom and started the shower. He looked in the mirror and frowned, as he stretched to see his neck, just above his collar bone. “Damn, he gave me a hickey.”

Sonny rubbed at the purple spot to no avail and shook his head. “Hopefully a shirt will cover it.”

He went to the bathroom, then turned on the sink, to wash his hands and then shave. He again noticed the bruise and stopped for a second, as he remember the moment it probably happened and smiled. “I guess I can’t blame him. What an amazing night.”

Sonny had just turned off the water and was about to shower, when Will came in. “I thought so too.”

Sonny smiled at his naked boyfriend and leaned over to kiss him. “I thought you were asleep.”

Will walked past Sonny to the toilet. “I was, but I guess I sensed that you were gone and woke up.”

Sonny frowned. “I’m sorry. I need to get to the coffeehouse. I know its early.”

Will shrugged, as he finished up and went to wash his hands. “No biggie. I don’t have anything to do today.”

Sonny smiled and made his way into the shower. “Good. You can join me for breakfast.”

Will finished washing his hands and reached out to grab the curtain. “I could join you even sooner.”

Sonny smiled, as he turned in the bathtub to face his boyfriend, who was climbing in. “You’re going to make me late.”

Will picked up the soap and rubbed it in his hands. “You’re wasting time. Turn around.”

Sonny did as Will said and closed his eyes as Will ran his hands over his shoulders and back. “I guess you are better at getting my back.”

Will finished up Sonny’s back and bent down to get his legs. “That’s not all I’m good at getting.”

Sonny could feel his cock twitch at the thought, but he tried to stay in control. “You’re suppose to be helping.”

Will stood up and ran his hands up Sonny’s hips. “I am. Is that better?”

Sonny didn’t think it was better at all. Will’s hands on him, were never good when he was in a rush. “That feels good.”

Will slid his hands over Sonny’s shoulders and down his arms, then stepped closer and reached around him to soap up his chest. “I think so too.”

Sonny could feel Will’s erection, as he held him close. He bit his lip, as his breathing became more rapid. This position was going to be nothing but trouble. “I could turn around.”

Will held Sonny tight with one arm, as his hand made its way down his body and he began to work his cock with his other soapy hand. He kissed his ear. “I like doing it like this.”

Sonny’s head fell back on Will’s shoulder, as he was now under Will’s control. “I do too.”

Will continued to slide his hand up and down Sonny’s length and Sonny reached behind him and caressed Will’s ass. Will began to kiss Sonny’s neck, as he continued to work his member until he came and laid weak against him. His mouth open and gasping for air. “You’re going to be the death of me.”

Will lifted Sonny up and turned him to face him under the streaming water. “What a way to die.”

Sonny began to come back and ran his hands through his hair and over his face. “Yeah it is.”

Will watched his boyfriend, as the water ran over his body and noticed the spot on his neck. He placed a finger on the bruise. “Oh oh. Did I do that?”

Sonny playfully glared at his boyfriend, as the water streamed over his head. “Who else would have?”

Will smiled and grabbed Sonny by the waist to pull him closer. “I’m sorry. I just can’t get enough of you sometimes.”

Sonny kissed Will to reassure him, then moved him around towards the water. “I’m okay with it. I think it's low enough that I’ll be able to cover it with a shirt. Now lets get you cleaned up.”

Will stopped Sonny from picking up the soap. “I was thinking of getting a little dirty first.”

Sonny would have loved nothing more than to spend more time in the shower. He pulled his hand from Will and picked up the soap. “We’re going to have to do them at the same time. I really do have to get to work.”

Sonny started to run his hands over Will’s chest and down his stomach. Will’s head fell back into the water. “I could be okay with that.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
T had called Will and he went to meet him after he had breakfast with Sonny at the shop. “Hey T”

T smiled at his friend, as he approached him in the park. “Hey man. I’m glad that you could make it.”

Will hit his friend on the shoulder. “Anytime for you. You really saved my life that night.”

T was glad to be there, but he didn’t share his friend’s sentiments. “I don’t know about that. I just knew that I couldn’t let him hurt you.”

Will walked over to sit on the bench. “Well, I’m glad you were there. What’s up?”

T went to sit down. “I decided not to join the fraternity.”

Will frowned at his friend. “Why not. Hope said that those guys were working alone. Even Neil said that the other guys at the frat were cool.”

T pushed his hands into his coat pockets and looked out at the trees. “I had applied for this internship awhile ago and I got it.”

Will didn’t understand. “Well, that’s great. That shouldn’t keep you from joining the fraternity. Companies eat that kind of stuff up.”

T turned to face his friend. “Yeah they do, but I won’t be around to do all the activities.”

Will was confused. He sat up straighter on the bench. “What do you mean? Where are you going to be?”

T gave Will a half smile. “Tokyo.”

Will was shocked, but happy for his friend. “That’s great. When do you leave?”

T could tell that his friend was keeping up a front. “After the holidays. It starts in January.”

Will put his hand on T’s shoulder. “I’m going to miss you. It seems like we just began to reconnect.”

T nodded. He was going to miss his friend. “It does, but I need to get away.”

Will frowned. He could see there was more to T leaving, than just an opportunity opening up. “What’s really goin on? Tell me. I know how excited you were about joining that frat and you never mentioned studying abroad before. Is this because of what happened?”

T looked down and nodded. “Yeah it is. I always looked for you to protect me. When you were gone, it was hard, but I made it through. I thought that I had grown up a bit, but me being so determined to join that stupid frat, just shows that I haven’t learned anything at all. I was like those other guys. I knew that Peter was bad news, but they wanted me and I thought that finally I was going to belong to something.”

Will put his arm around his friend. “T, it wasn’t your fault.”

T nodded. “I know. I just feel that I need a change. One where I will only have me. It’ll be hard, but I think it will be good for me.”

Will wished that he was as brave as he was. “It takes a lot of guts to do that, but I know that you’re going to be great. How long will you be gone?”

T was glad that his friend seemed happy for him. “Its just the semester, so I’ll be back in the summer.”

Will got up and opened his arms to hug his friend. “I’ll be here waiting for you.”

T got up and wrapped his arms around Will. “I know you Will.”

Will watched as T walked off. “Good luck buddy.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The morning rush was over and it seemed to have died down in the coffeehouse, when Sonny heard the door open, as he got the receipts together. “Just a minute.”

Sonny quickly put the things away and turned around, to find Stephen on the other side of the counter. “Hey Sonny.”

Sonny had more than enough of Stephen the previous night. “We don’t sell coffee to people like you.”

Stephen put up his hands. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t me last night.”

Sonny frowned and headed to the back to put away the receipts. “Did you look in the mirror, because it certainly looked like you.”

Stephen rushed to stop him and Sonny pulled away. “I’m sorry, but can you please hear me out.”

Sonny shook his head. “That’s all I’ve been doing is hearing you out. “How you made a mistake and how you’ve grown and know how you are, but you haven’t heard me. I LOVE WILL.”

Stephen nodded. “I do hear you and I get it. I knew it before I showed up last night. I didn’t lie. I wanted to see you together. I thought it would make me get it through my head.”

Sonny crossed his arms over his chest. “...and did it?”

Stephen let out a sigh and dropped his head. “It let me see what a fool I was. I got drunk and I started to lash out. I wanted to hurt you, like you hurt me.”

Sonny shook his head. “I never hurt you Stephen. You were the one that hurt me, by being with the other guy. Then you show up 6 months later and hope that you can get another chance? It’s beyond too late. It was too late the minute I left your apartment.”

Stephen could see in Sonny’s face that what he was saying was true. “I know I blew it. I was scared. I had spent my entire life, living a lie and when I finally admitted to myself who I was, it destroyed what I had built, even if it was false. Jeanie threw me out and I had nothing, then I met you. You scared me. I saw in you, everything that I was missing, but it was too soon. So I pushed you away. I regretted it, but I thought it was too late. Then when I found out that I was coming to Salem, I thought it was a sign. Even Will said so.”

Sonny was confused by what Stephen had said. “What does Will have to do with this?”

Stephen stepped closer to Sonny. “He talked about soulmates and connections and I did have a connection with and you had one with me too. You can’t deny that.”

Sonny nodded, he did have a connection with Stephen. He remembered Will telling him about their conversation. “We aren’t soulmates. We had an attraction and yes a connection. I think you were what I needed at the moment and I was the same for you. You made me realize that I didn’t want the fooling around. I wanted a real relationship. One that straight couples have. Being gay doesn’t have to change that, but I thought it did.”

Stephen felt that he had to take another chance. “That’s what I want too now. I just didn’t realize that I could have it then.”

Sonny knew that he had to let Stephen know there was no chance for them. “Maybe that was what you got out out of our time together. To let you know that it was going to be alright. I had my time and you needed yours. I’ve found my soulmate and its not you. Its Will.”

Stephen sniffled and nodded. “You did do that for me. I could see that you and Will are meant for each other. I think that made it hurt even more, but what I did was wrong.”

Sonny started for feel bad for Stephen, but he was right, what he did at the end of the evening was wrong. “You didn’t really do anything and Will took care of the things that you did.”

Stephen rubbed his chin, as he remembered the punch and smiled. “He does have a pretty good right hook.”

Sonny smiled. “He does. Sorry.”

Stephen shook his head. “Don’t apologize. I deserved it, but I’m going to be leaving this afternoon and I just wanted to see you before I left.”

Sonny was relieved, but was sad that things went the way that they did. “Have a nice trip back.”

Stephen could tell that Sonny was being sincere, that was one of the amazing things about him. “I’m not going back to Italy just yet. I realized that I need to get my life back and to do that, I need to have my children know their father.”

Sonny was surprised and pleased at the same time. “You’re going to California?”

Stephen nodded. “She’s got no right to keep them away from me. I did lie to her, but I was good to her and a good father. They need to know that I didn't abandon them, even if I am on the other side of the ocean.”

Sonny understood what Stephen was saying. “You’re right. You’re a good man and they need you in their life.”

Tears started to form in Stephen’s eyes. “You really think that?”

Sonny opened his arms for a hug and Stephen walked inside. He patted Stephen’s back, as he held him tight. “I always thought so or I never would have fallen for you.”

Stephen rested his head on Sonny’s shoulder. “Thanks.”

Sonny stepped back. “You’re welcome. You and I might have not been meant to be, but there’s someone out there for you Stephen. Guys like you don’t stay alone long.”

Stephen noticed Sonny's neck and lifted his shirt. “...and guys like you?”

Sonny pulled his collar closed and smiled uneasily. “Have boyfriends that get carried away. You’ll have that too someday Stephen.”

Stephen nodded that he understood and got ready to go. “That might be true, but they won’t be you. I’ll be back from time to time to check on progress of the acquisition. Maybe you and Will would like to go out to dinner. No snide remarks. I promise.”

Sonny waved at Stephen as he left. “That would be great. Take care.”

Stephen left and Sonny went into his office to put the receipts away. Stephen saw Will, who was just making it to the coffeehouse. He didn’t bother to stop, as he walked by. “You take care of him, because I’ll take the chance if I get one.”

Will stopped and frowned after Stephen, then made his way into the coffeehouse. He looked around, but didn’t see Sonny, then Sonny came from the back. “Hey babe.”

Will walked over, still baffled. He pointed over his shoulder. “I just saw Stephen. Did you talk to him?”

Sonny walked around the counter. “I did and he’s leaving.”

Will finally understood. “That explains it.”

Sonny put some change in the cash register. “Explains what?”

Will shook his head. “Nothing really. He seemed smug and told me to take care of you or he would.”

Sonny looked over his shoulder. “Really? Well, that won’t happen. I can take care of myself.”

Will walked around the counter. “I like taking care of you though.”

Sonny turned to his boyfriend and smiled. “Well, I meant if something happened between us.”

Will frowned. “What did he say?”

Sonny draped his arms over Will’s shoulders. “That’s he’s leaving and that was all I needed to hear. I’m looking forward to Christmas.”

Will forgot about Stephen and grabbed Sonny by the waist. “It means more time with our families.”

Sonny thought for a second. “I like the sound of that, “our families”. Mr Horton, I think we make a fabulous couple.”

Will leaned in and kissed Sonny. “Yes Jackson. I think we do too.”


	35. Holiday Traditions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Its Christmas and Sonny and Will spend it with family, after exchanging presents.

The holidays came up quickly and Sonny and Will continued to put their various problems behind them and concentrated on their lives together. They had only been together for a few months, but it felt like years, with all that they had been through and shared, during that time. That was in the past, they had healed and so had Neil, who had become good friends with the boys, spending time with them before going home for the holiday break. Will and Sonny also said goodbye to T, who left with his family early to get settled for his semester in Japan.

It was Christmas morning and they had spent Christmas eve with the Kiriakis and the Hortons. Both had very strong traditions the boys had missed and enjoyed sharing with one another.

Sonny’s uncle Victor, was happy to have family around. He had softened in his old age, with the help of Maggie. Victor’s way of doing things may not have descended from his Greek heritage, but he stood by them none the less. Will didn’t care, he just avoided the overly strong eggnog and ate the cookies.

The Horton’s were famous for their traditions. Ornaments hung on the tree representing the various family members, alive and dead. Sonny stayed close to Will, when they put his grandparent’s on the tree. Losing his grandmother Alice while he was gone, hit him hard.

Sonny stood and watched as Will put his on the tree, with his father and sister. It was a lovely tradition and Sonny was happy that he was there to share it with Will.

They went home and cuddled, under the covers and talked about their day, then fell asleep in each others arms.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will woke first the next morning. Sonny was sleeping peacefully, facing him. He smiled at him, then kissed him on the cheek, before getting up and going to the bathroom. He walked past their tree, that they had put up in the corner. Sonny had complained that it was too big, but once it was up and decorated, he gave in and admitted that it was perfect.

Will went to the bathroom and came back and looked over at the bed. Sonny had rolled to his back, but was still asleep. Will looked at the clock. “I guess its still early.”

He decided to make coffee, so they could have it while they opened presents. He put on the pot and went and turned on the tree.

He then climbed back into bed and slid his feet under the covers. He didn’t have on socks and his feet were cold from walking around the apartment. He bent his knees to his chested and wrapped his arms around his legs, to look at the tree.

Sonny turned over and opened an eye and noticed his boyfriend, then asked in a raspy voice “How long have you been up?”

Will looked over at his groggy boyfriend, as he stretched. “Just a little while.”

Sonny rubbed his eyes and tried to wake up. “What time is it?”

Will looked back at the tree. “About 6:15. Its early. You can go back to sleep if you want?”

Sonny frowned at his boyfriend. “What? Why are you up so early?”

Will shrugged. He loved Christmas mornings when he was a kid and he’d missed 4 of them. “Its Christmas. You’re suppose to get up early.”

Sonny pushed up on his elbow. “I guess when you’re 5.”

Will turned and looked at his boyfriend. “Christmas, was one of the times when my family actually got along for more than 2 minutes.”

Sonny realized that he was being insensitive. He sat up. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. This is the first Christmas that you’ve been home in a while. I didn’t say anything, but I saw how you were when Jennifer was putting your grandmother’s ornament up.”

Will looked straight, as he remembered the moment. Tears forming in his eyes. “That was her favorite time of year. I remember the first time that I was able to put mine on. I was scared that I was going to drop it. I wish that you had one.”

Sonny wrapped his arm around Will. “I didn’t really expect one. I got goosebumps watching your family do it. I could only imagine how it feels to do it yourself.”

Will smiled. “Its amazing. All these thoughts go through your head. The meaning of it all. Its really special.”

Sonny kissed Will’s shoulder. “Yeah it is. I wish my family had traditions like that.”

Will turned to Sonny and frowned. “Your family has plenty of traditions.”

Sonny started to get up. “Yeah. Eggnog, made with 100 year old rum.”

Will watched Sonny, as he made his way to the bathroom. “Okay, maybe that's not one of the better ones.”

Sonny continued walking. “No its not. I can smell the coffee. Why don’t you pour me some and we can open presents when I get back.”

Will hopped out of bed and headed for the kitchen. “Fine by me.”

Sonny shook his head, as he closed the door to the bathroom. “I’m in love with a dweeb.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will sat on the floor, a scarf from his mom around his neck, while he looked for another present to open. “Here’s one for you from my mom.”

Sonny put his coffee on the table and reached over for the package. “She didn’t have to give me anything.”

Will continued to look through the unopened packages. “She loves to shop. It keeps her out of trouble, which isn’t easy.”

Sonny got the package open. “Looks like we’re twins.”

Will looked at the scarf in Sonny’s hands. “She probably thinks that its cute when we dress alike.”

Sonny put on the scarf. “I was just going to still yours.”

Will laughed. “I was thinking the same thing about that sweater your mom gave you.”

Sonny smiled, at the thought. “I think it would look hot on you. God, we are such an old couple, stealing each others clothes.”

Will leaned back and pushed out his lips waiting for a kiss. “I think its adorable.”

Sonny leaned down to accommodate his boyfriend. “So do I actually. It kind of doubles your wardrobe, without having to spend money.”

Will found another box for him. “This ones from you.”

Sonny got up and moved down on the floor next to Will. “I hope you like it.”

Will began to tear off the wrapping. “Its from you. Of course I’ll like it.”

Sonny had a hard time thinking of a present. He wanted to give Will something personal, but not too personal. “You shouldn’t say that, until you see it.”

Will opened the box. “Its an I pod. You shouldn’t have spent so much.”

Sonny bit the inside of his lip. “You’re not suppose to say that. Besides I didn’t. I have a connection and got it wholesale.”

Will looked over the mp3 player. “You had it engraved. TO WH LOVE JK. Aww. That’s so sweet.”

Sonny was glad Will liked it. “There’s more.”

Will frowned at Sonny. “Come on. This is enough.”

Sonny took the I pod from Will. “Actually, it didn’t cost anymore. I loaded some of my playlist on it. Just some of the songs that I thought that you would like.”

Will took the I pod back, after Sonny had turned it on and opened it to the playlist that he was referring to. He looked through it. “This is is cool. I’m going to play it.”

Sonny continued to sit on the floor and watched as Will hurried over to the radio. “I’m glad you like it.”

Will found a song that he wanted to listen to, then placed it in the stand. “Its perfect.”

Sonny sat with his legs bent and his arms resting on top of them. “I don’t know about that.”

The song started and Will walked over to Sonny and offered his hand. “I do. Dance with me.”

Sonny took Will’s hand and let him pull him up. “This is silly.”

Will pulled Sonny close. “Its suppose to be romantic.”

Sonny rested his head on Will’s shoulder, as they danced by their tree. “That too.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
After the dance, Will decided that it was time for Sonny to open his present. He rushed back to the tree. “I need to give you your present now.”

Sonny would have liked to just keep dancing, but he walked back over to the tree with Will. “I was enjoying yours, but okay.”

Will had found Sonny’s present earlier, but felt strange giving it to him. He thought now would be a good time, he knelt down and dug through the boxes and paper, until he found what he was looking for. He got up and walked back over to Sonny. “Here it is. I hope you like it.”

Sonny took the small box from Will. “Whatever it is, I’m sure its fine. I already have you.”

Will narrowed his eyes at his boyfriend. “Yeah right. Open it.”

Sonny shook the box, before he began taking off the paper. “Hmm, I know its not a key.”

Will stood patiently. “No its not.”

Sonny opened the box and was confused by what he saw. “What’s this?”

Will moved over next to Sonny and took the object from the box. “I saw this in an antique store and thought it was special.”

Sonny frowned at Will. “I can see that. It looks pretty old.”

Will shrugged. “The owner claimed that it was from the 40s, but you never know with people like that. I think you are amazing and so special and I wanted you to have something that shows how special you are to me and one of a kind.”

Sonny could tell that Will was being serious. “I feel the same way, but…”

Will didn’t let Sonny finish. “You don’t have to wear it. I know you're not that into jewelry.”

Sonny shook his head. “Its not that…”

Will was worried and he thought that Sonny wasn’t comfortable with his gift. “It not like an engagement ring. We’ve only been together for a few months, but more of a promise to be there for one another.”

Sonny couldn’t imagine that it was an engagement ring, but was kind of relieved when Will explained things. “I get it now. I’ve never felt for anyone the way that I feel for you, but it has only been a short time.”

Will smiled, knowing that he had eased Sonny’s fears. “Do you like it?”

Sonny took the ring from Will and looked at it. “Its beautiful. I love it. What’s inside?”

Will was pretty proud of himself. “I did a little engraving of my own.”

Sonny looked at the inside of the ring. “WILSON FOREVER”

Will watched, as Sonny read the inscription. “I know its kind or corny. It was something Chad said once, after Abby had told him that we were dating.”

Sonny looked up from the ring. “No. No, its not. I get it. Its our names blended together. I like it.”

Will was relieved. “I’m glad. Here. Let me put it on you.”

Sonny gave Will the ring and watched as he slid it on his right ring finger. “It actually fits. That’s hard to believe. Are you sure that this is from the 40s?”

Will admired the ring on Sonny’s finger and then walked off. “That’s what he claimed. He said that they were custom made and that there were only two of them in existence.”

Sonny frowned at Will, as he walked away. “Really? I wonder how he knew that?”

Will walked to a drawer and took something out and walked back over to Sonny. “Because he had both of them and that is what the man said that gave them to him?”

Sonny was about to ask Will what he was doing, then he showed him what he was carrying. “...and you bought them both?”

Will nodded and placed the ring on his finger. “This one fit me and that one was a little bit big, so I hoped that it would fit you. I wouldn’t give you a promise ring unless I was willing to wear one myself.”

Sonny took Will’s hand and admired the ring. “This is even stranger. There are only two of these and they are both mens rings. Who would do something like that?”

Will pulled Sonny closer. “He said that the guy claimed they were his and his lovers’. Maybe they were two men that weren’t free to be together, like we are.”

Sonny draped his arms around Will’s neck. “Well, if that’s the case, I’m glad you found them and that we can do them honor, by wearing them and not having to hide how much we love each other.”

Will kissed Sonny gently. “Yes we can. Well, that’s the last of the presents.”

Sonny thought for a minute. “What do we do now?”

Will smiled. “When I was a kid, I’d stay up and play with my toys until lunch.”

Sonny shook his head. "Don’t really have any toys.”

Will thought some more. “We could go out to breakfast.”

Sonny considered that option then rejected it. “That would require us to get dressed.”

Will began to kiss Sonny’s neck. “We wouldn’t want to do that.”

Sonny pulled away from Will and took his hands and pulled him back to the bed. “You did wake me up pretty early this morning”

Will smiled and followed his boyfriend. “Opening presents, always wears me out. “

Sonny nodded, as he climbed on the bed. “We don’t have to be at the pub for several hours.”

Will wrapped his arm around Sonny’s waist. “Maybe we should go back to bed.”

Sonny wrapped his arm around Will and pulled him to the bed. “I was thinking the same thing.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Will laid on his back and Sonny was laying next to him. They were holding hands, as they stared up at the ceiling, then Will pulled Sonny’s hand up and looked at it, before kissing the ring on his finger. “Is it me, or did that seem different somehow?”

Sonny turned on his side, as Will continued to hold his hand. “I was thinking the same thing. You wouldn’t think that something so small would make such a difference.”

Will turned to face Sonny and held his right hand in his. “It connects us. Even if its not legally binding. It binds us emotionally because of what it stands for.”

Sonny ran his thumb over the ring on Will’s hand. “Is yours engraved too?”

Will took it off and handed it to Sonny. “It already had an inscription in it. Here read it.”

Sonny took the ring from Will and turned on his back tor ead it. “Never apart, always in my heart. That’s beautiful.”

Will took back the ring, when Sonny gave it back, after turning back on his side. “I wish I could have thought of something as good. This must have belonged to the lover.”

Sonny settled on his pillow. “Or he gave it to the man, to let him know that even though he couldn’t be with him, that he still loved him.”

Will looked at the ring, then lifted his arm, to pull Sonny close to him. “I don't know what I would do if I had to be apart from you.”

Sonny settled next to Will. “Me either.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Sonny and Will had a full day of celebrations ahead of them. Will having a big family, was demanding. The pub was their first stop, to celebrate with the Brady’s. Then they were to meet for an early dinner with Lucas and Kate, before they went back to the Horton’s that evening.

Luckily Victor decided to have a big celebration for Greek Orthodox Christmas the next week or they would have to add the Kiriakis mansion to their list.

Will stopped Sonny outside the pub and took him by the lapel. “Did I tell you how great you are, to spend your Christmas with my family?”

Sonny put his hands over Will’s. “I love spending time with your family. They make me feel like I’m part of the family, eventhough we haven’t been going out for very long. Its what I’ve always wanted. Plus, I love the traditions.”

Will kissed Sonny gently, not to give him courage, but to muster up some for himself. “You are a braver man than me. These things have always been tense for me. After this morning, I think we may have made some traditions of our own.”

Sonny took Will’s hand and led him inside. “I think we may have. As far as, your past Christmases being tense, that’s because I wasn’t here with you. Lets get inside.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
They went inside and Johnny and Alli came running up to them. Johnny wrapped his arms around Will’s waist. “You’re wearing the scarf mom gave you.”

Alli pulled at Will’s sleeve. “I picked it out.”

Johnny protested, “But it was my idea.”

Alli was not to be out done. “Yeah, but I knew his favorite color was blue.”

Will bent down and put his arms around his siblings. “Well, you two did a wonderful job, because I love it. Thank you so much.”

Will’s brother and sister hugged him. “You’re welcome.”

Sonny smiled down, as Will talked to his little brother and sister. He was so good with them.

Will looked around. "Where’s mom?”

Johnny pointed towards the kitchen. “She’s helping grandma Caroline.”

Alli started towards the back. “I’ll get her.”

Johnny started after his sister. “No. I’ll do it.”

Will stood up and watched as they ran off. and smiled at them, as Sonny walked up and put his arm around his waist. “They really adore you.”

Will turned his attention back to Sonny. “I love them. I hate that I missed most of their lives.”

Sonny played with Will’s scarf. “Now you can make it up to them, but it doesn’t seem like they mind. They love you and can tell that you love them. Its a wonderful thing to see.”

Will put his arms around Sonny’s waist. “They like you too. They told me.”

Sonny became serious. “I’m glad. I’m always kind of nervous around them. I’ve never spent much time with children. I don’t know what to do most of the time.”

Will smiled and kissed Sonny gently. “You just love them, they kind of do the rest.”

Sonny narrowed his eyes at Will. “You seem like quite the authority.”

Will shrugged. “I always wanted kids. I didn’t have the best childhood and vowed that I would do better with my own.”

Sonny could see that Will was serious. “You still want kids?”

Will nodded. “Of course I do and if you play your cards right, I might let you be their other dad.”

Sonny looked down. “I hadn’t thought about it.”

Will didn’t mean to make Sonny sad. ”Its not something that I want right away. I tell you what, we can hang out with my brother and sister more to help you get use to the idea.”

Johnny and Alli came running back in, with Sami and Caroline in tow and Sonny smiled at them. “I think I might be okay with that.”

Sami smiled at the two boys and whispered to her grandmother. “Aren’t they just the cutest?”

Caroline wasn't one for biting her tongue. She spoke loud and proud. “Its wonderful to see people not being afraid to show that they are in love.”

Will turned to his grandmother and put his arm around her. “Thanks. It means a lot to hear you say that.”

Sonny agreed and Sami took his hand and held it in her hand. “All I’ve ever wanted was for Will to get his life back and you did that for him. You gave him a fresh start.”

Sonny smiled at Will. “He did the same for me.”

Caroline took Will’s hand and placed it on top of Sonny’s. “Goes to show that the two of you were meant to be. Shame on people that feel otherwise.”

Sami smiled at her grandmother and looked at her son’s hand on top of Sonny’s “When did you get the rings?”

Will and Sonny took their hands from Sami. Sonny glanced at Will, before answering. “Will found them at an antique shop. They were my Christmas present.”

Will felt the need to interject. He put up his hands. “Don’t get too excited. We aren’t engaged.”

You could see Sami’s disappointment, but she tried to cover. “I never thought that you were.”

Caroline was more honest. “Speak for yourself. I was looking forward to going to a gay wedding.”

Sonny smiled at Will’s grandmother’s honesty. “We can’t get married in Salem anyway. Its not legal yet.”

Sami rubbed Sonny’s arm. “It will be and when it is, I’ll be proud to have you as a son-in-law.”

Caroline started to walk off. “Hell, he’s already part of the family, as far as I’m concerned.”

Will watched the two women walk off, as Sami tried to reel in her grandmother. He then held Sonny by his jacket. “I do too.”

Sonny looked up. “Did you notice where we’ve been standing?”

Will nodded, as he stepped closer. “Yeah I did. I don’t need an excuse to kiss you though, but its nice to have one.”

Sonny smiled and leaned in to kiss Will one more time, before going to join the rest of the family. “I love you Will Horton.”

Will put his arm around Sonny’s shoulder. “I love you Jackson Kiriakis.”

**THE END**


End file.
